For How Long Will You Love Me?
by Midnight Writer Shadrach
Summary: What would happen if Harry ran away from his relatives when he was eight,and was put in an orphanage.There he was adopted by some big time money moguls, that have secrets even Harry couldn't imagine. Slight X-Men CROSSOVER.UP FOR ADOPTION!
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter was a very unhappy child. He had been unhappy for as long as he could remember, but slowly that unhappiness turned to anger. Anger at his parents for leaving him, anger at his relatives for abusing him, anger at his neighbors for turning a blind eye to it, and anger at the world for not caring about him.

He was only eight years old, but he knew the true meaning of hard work. He had been doing most of his family's chores since he could walk, and was beat like a dog by his uncle at the slightest mistakes.

Harry Potter wasn't exactly an impressive-looking boy. He was short for his age, with unruly black hair, knobby knees, wide green eyes hidden behind ugly taped glasses, and a malnourished body that made him look like he was a refugee from a third world country. Luckily, for his relatives at least, it was hidden under his whale of a cousin Dudley's old clothes.

Right now he was struggling to make dinner for his family, barely able to reach the cooking utensils because he was too short, in addition to the fact that he was nervous about his uncle's arrival home. He knew his principal had called his aunt and uncle about the incident today. The incident in which Dudley and his gang had been chasing him through the school campus, when all of a sudden he disappeared, appearing then on the school roof! Even so, the unexpected teleportation had shocked Harry just as much as it had shocked Dudley and his gang. After the school custodian rescued Harry from the roof, he was immediately taken to the Principal's office, where he was suspended for a week.

He was just about to take the roast out of the oven when he heard the front door slam. "Boy!" he heard his uncle roar. He could feel himself starting to shake uncontrollably, and trying to tighten up to hide his fear, he headed to the living room. He had learned long ago that the punishments were always worse when he tried to hide. As soon as his uncle spotted him, he stumped over and hauled him in the air by his oversized shirt.

"Who do you think you are, boy, embarrassing my family with your freakish actions!" his uncle yelled furiously, spittle flying everywhere.

"Uncle Vernon, if you would just let me explain—"

Slap! The sound resounded through the empty living room. On Harry Potter's once pale and unmarked face was a rapidly darkening bruise, his jaw already swelling.

"Let you explain yourself?! There's nothing to explain!" Vernon shouted, his fat face looking much like an overripe tomato. "I warned you to keep your freakishness to yourself! You were well-warned, boy!"

Without allowing Harry to speak another word, Vernon began pounding his fists into the much smaller boy, adding a few kicks once in a while, oblivious to the pleading for him to stop, the frantic apologies, and the loud sobs amplified by the emptiness of the room.

Hatred for his uncle began to well up inside Harry, as it always did during these moments. His uncle always beat him for something he either didn't do or couldn't control. Even when he did something correctly, he was beaten, and so of course every time he did something wrong he would certainly be beaten.

For Harry Potter there was no right or wrong, only survival. His uncle's abuse had taught him that harsh lesson. But he did believe what his uncle was doing to him wasn't right, and like the superheroes from the cartoons Dudley always, he watched said, "Unjust actions should never go unpunished!"

_But no one has ever cared about you, Potter. Who would care about an unjust action done to you?_ a dark voice of doubt whispered in the back of Harry's head.

Harry felt a wave of sadness sweep through him, making his eyes water. He rebelliously wiped at his eyes, refusing to cry in front of his uncle. He wouldn't give the man the satisfaction. Harry instead glared into his uncle's eyes determinedly, refusing to be broken. Vernon Dursley's face turned almost a hue of maroon at this point.

"Still got some fight left in you, eh?!," he remarked with a sneer. "Guess I'll just have beat it out of you then!"

He pulled off his belt that had been dutifully holding back an overabundance of belly fat, snapping it menacingly in Harry's face. Harry backed up against the wall, cowering in fear. His uncle was merciless, however, and was on him again in two great leaps. Beating him with the belt and stomping on his ribcage with his feet. Harry felt one of his ribs crack and screamed in pain, shutting his eyes as he grimaced.

Involuntarily, Harry shielded his face with his hands, screaming for his uncle to leave him alone, to stop this torture. This beating was by far the most painful one he had ever received, and though already accustomed to such negative treatment, Harry could barely tolerate the pain his uncle was inflicting on him.

Suddenly, Harry felt a tingle erupt from his fingertips. If his eyes had been open, he would have seen blue thunder erupt from his fingertips, striking his uncle in the chest. Harry felt the beatings stop abruptly, and opened his eyes.

What he saw chilled him to the bone. His uncle was laid out on the floor, his skin charred black, piggy eyes glassy and lifeless. A shivering mess, Harry scrambled back in revulsion, retching all over himself.

_Did I do that_, he mused disgustingly. _Of course I didn't… I couldn't have. I mean, I hate the man, but this..._ he trailed off thinking. But deep inside of him, subconsciously, he knew his late uncle got exactly what he deserved.

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Petunia Dursley was a bitter woman. She had always been jealous of her sister, Lily, and her magical powers. Lily had always been perfect. She had the perfect body, perfect face, perfect smile, perfect husband, and the perfect son. Quite frankly, the word 'perfect' itself left a bitter taste in her mouth. Petunia's parents had always preferred their youngest daughter to her, all because she was "special". Petunia was the only one to see Lily for what she truly was… an unnatural freak!

When she received her sister's son on that faithful Halloween night, she knew it was the best possible thing that could have happened to her. She could finally exact her revenge on her sister. She underfed the boy, gave him all of Dudley's old clothes, made him do all the chores, hindered his education, and gave him a couple of whacks upside the head with a frying pan, but she never really physically abused him that was Vernon's job. He beat the boy enough for the both of them, and of course she subtlety encouraged Dudley to do the same.

So of course when she heard the tell-tale sign of Vernon arriving home, and the beatings beginning, she did nothing to stop it. But when the sound of the beating suddenly stopped, she figured it was time to investigate. She gingerly made her way down the steps, Dudley eagerly waddling behind her. No need to rush… After all, what could the freak possibly have done to Vernon? But as soon she turned the corner into the living room her heart skipped a beat. There lay her husband, flat on his back, his skin black as if it had been charred by fire, eyes open and unblinking. She screamed, throwing herself onto her husband with a loud wail. Dudley just stood there gaping stupidly, not able to comprehend what was happening. She never noticed her nephew, pathetically huddled into the corner, watching them like a cornered animal.

After a few moments it had sunk in that her husband was dead. Someone was to blame for this. She spotted her nephew cowering in the corner and stormed towards him, using a hand to wipe a charcoal-like powder from the front of her dress as she shook a blackened finger at Harry.

"How could you do such a thing, you insolent little monster?!" she shrieked. "What did you do to him!?"

With that, Petunia turned quickly on her heel, rushing towards the kitchen. As Harry watched on in fear, she gathered utensils in her arms as if trying to protect them from some impending robbery. Rather, she moved back into the living room, beginning to chuck her kitchen utensils at him. Knives, forks, spoons, pots, pans, all came hurtling at his head. One of the knives came close to hitting Harry, who was miraculously able to dodge at the last minute. Another almost hit him before blue thunder erupted from his hand once again, deflecting the knife and knocking his aunt out in one fell swoop. Dudley was still standing there looking stupid. Harry was floored by what he had done, but didn't stop to think about it before he was bolting out the back door. =

It was a fiercely cold October night, making Harry wish he had grabbed a coat on his way out. He moved continuously through Little Whining, Surrey, determined not to think about what had happened. He had only stopped once in order to shed his raggedy shoes after a sole snapped, a decision he soon learned was a mistake, losing half his body heat in five minutes.

He made it to a gas station soon after that, where he spotted a delivery truck. Completely wiped out and freezing cold, he took a chance by sneaking in the back of the truck while the owner was inside sipping coffee. It was cold inside the truck, but there were no frigid winds as there were outside. With a sigh of relief he rolled himself into a ball, and succumbed to the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters

Harry's first thought when he regained consciousness was that he was warm. He had been so cold last night, this new warmth was a welcome change. He opened his eyes slowly, wincing in pain in pain as his joints and muscles creaked. The first thing he realized was that he was in a small bedroom. It had six other beds besides his own cramped into corners, with the beds made and empty.

The sheets on the beds were threadbare and dingy, but better than nothing, Harry supposed. The walls were also bare, not counting the various stains and substances on the wall, with the yellowish circles in the ceiling mapping out numerous leaks.

Looking around, Harry noticed that there was a plain white t-shirt, a patched up pair of black slacks, a pair of wool socks, and a beat up old pair of trainers sitting on the edge of his bed. He changed into the clothes and was surprised to see they actually fit. The pants were actually a little too long, but were still much better than Dudley's old clothes, which were now streaked in filth and whatever he had retched up the night before.

Harry spotted an open window proximal to his bed. Leaning out the window, he saw hundreds of trucks, buses, and cars shooting past his window. There were people passing by, people entering into shops and skyscrapers. Harry felt his jaw unhinge. He had never seen such sights, being as he lived in the mostly suburban Surrey. These were the sights, sounds, and smells that were purely of the city. Looking down, Harry spotted a door directly under his window

The sign on the door in fancy manuscript read: James Oglethorpe –Orphanage Of London. Below that it read: Occupied. He reeled back from the window in shock, and sat back down on the bed. He felt faint. He was in an orphanage! How did he get here, and why was he still alive, for that matter? Going to sleep that cold October night, he had figured he'd never wake up again. Shaking off those thoughts, he headed into the hallway.

On both sides of him were other doors leading to other bedrooms. At the end of the hall was a staircase. Harry cautiously made his way down the stairway, trying not to make the old stairs creak. The stairs were so old they creaked if even a muscle was twitched. As he got closer to the bottom of the stairs, he heard light conversation.

To his right was an arched doorway. Passing through the doorway, Harry found a kitchen. It was as bare as the rest of the orphanage, except for a long kitchen table where about twenty children were seated quietly, as if in fear. Once they saw who the intruder was, they all stared at him with poorly disguised curiosity and whispered amongst themselves. Suddenly, a big-boned woman with matted brown hair entered the room, and the children fell quiet. She had a nasty look about her, and stank of hard liquor.

"Oh I see… new boy is finally up. Yeh'd think he were a prince or something the way he sleeps all bloody day," the matron hollered to no one in particular. Even so, her words had an effect on the children, as they broke into mean-spirited laughter, some even pointing cruelly at Harry. Harry, for his part, didn't react. He was so used to kids and adults acting like this towards him, that it was expected, really.

"So what's your name, boy?" she said with a sneer of spite. "The policemen that dropped you off said some fool truck driver found yeh half dead in the back of his truck!"

By now she was swaying drunkenly, as if she was a loose hooker. The kids snickered, though it was not clear as to who they were laughing at—Harry or the matron.

"My name is Harry Potter, and I'm eight years old," Harry said quietly.

"Good, yeh're young," she yelled. "That means yeh'll be out of my hair quicker. Folks is more keen to adopt 'em younger." She was so drunk that though her words were conversational, they came out as more of a yell.

"I'm Ms. Spence, the matron of this orphanage. Breakfast is at seven every morning, lessons at eight, lunch at twelve, dinner at six, and lights out at eight pm! "Do I make myself clear?" she asked, flashing Harry the evil eye.

"Crystal," he replied. It must have been the wrong response, he was immediately backhanded and knocked onto his backside. Wincing, he tasted the familiar metallic, taste of blood, and stood up.

"Don't sass me, boy!" she yelled, stumbling out of the room.

The other children didn't even bat an eyelash at her rough treatment, which left Harry to reason that this was normal behavior for the matron. He sat down at the only seat left at the table. It was next to a young boy with shaggy blond hair, and cerulean blue eyes.

"How do I get my breakfast?" Harry whispered to him.

The boy looked at the strange new kid incredulously, and said, "Ye ain't gonna get no food here. Ye best ye find yer own, laddie!"

Harry sighed and leaned back, defeated, resigning to whatever awaited him at this hell-hole.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry awoke to the dreary orphanage walls in all their glory—peeling paint, stained walls, and leaky ceiling. He got up, made his bed, and headed to the kitchen with all the other boys and girls of the orphanage. He had only been here for a month, but already Harry was convinced it was hell.

The orphanage matron could care less about the children. She used all the money that was given to the orphanage to get high on opium and get drunk on whiskey. She didn't feed them, forcing them to search for food elsewhere, or go hungry like so many did. They only got baths once a week as to starve off suspicion as to how they were treated. In fact, the only time they got a halfway decent meal and clothes was on adoption night every other Sunday.

No children had ever been adopted from the orphanage. Every other Sunday consisted of visits from rich snobs who stood around looking down their noses at the malnourished children. They only did this to make themselves feel righteous to even consider adopting one of the poverty-stricken orphans. In the end they'd roll their eyes in frustration and make a beeline for the door. They never knew how they left behind heartbroken children who cried themselves to sleep, their hearts filled with bitterness at the injustice of it all.

Harry was neither one of these children. He had no hopes for being adopted. People saw him as strange, with his wild unruly appearance and the nasty scar on his forehead. They saw his beautiful green eyes as disconcerting, as well as the fact that though skinny and unkempt, Harry carried himself confidently. When arrogant rich people approached him with their condescending stares, he wasn't afraid to tell them to get bent. He was probably the bravest child in the orphanage, but that also made him the most isolated. Other kids in the orphanage thought he brought too much attention to himself, and tended to avoid him for fears of getting in trouble. Harry would never admit it, but he was quite lonely.

He sat down at the kitchen table with the other orphans. They wouldn't be getting anything to eat, but the matron, Ms. Spence, always took this time for inspection. Harry guessed that she wanted to make sure all the kids were still here, and her secret was still safe. After that the children would make their way to a makeshift classroom for "lessons". Thinking about lessons made Harry wanted to snort. 'Lessons' wasn't the right word to describe what they learned. All their matron did was sit on her fat ass, sniffing opium, sipping on whiskey, and still finding a way to belittle the children. Because of this, half of the orphans didn't go to lessons, including Harry. It was easy to be missed once Ms. Spence had downed her first six morning whiskey bottles. The only time they didn't have lessons was on the weekend, and Spence still forced them out the orphanage door. That's when Harry's day truly began.

The first time Harry had been able to explore the city he had been impressed. He'd been silenced into a shocked stupor when he learned he was in the slums of London. He'd never seen such tall buildings –so many people packed in one place— and the general hustle and bustle associated with cities. There were so many flashing lights, bars, strip clubs, corner stores, and other attractions. This was also how Harry solved a more serious problem.

The orphanage didn't feed Harry. That was a problem that needed to solve. Life at the Dursleys had conditioned him so he could tolerate a lack of food for several days, but he had to eat eventually. After all, he was only human. After watching several orphans return to the orphanage with full bellies, he asked the blond boy Noah what the secret was. Harry could still remember his reaction.

Noah smiled widely, showing off gaps where he was missing teeth, and said, "Aye laddie, ain't no secret to pickpocketin', is there?"

It took two days for Harry to learn how to pickpocket. But there already were way too many pickpockets in the slums of London. After he had acquired some money from his thieving, Harry bought a map outlining the surrounding area at a tourist stand, and digging around the gutter, he gathered enough change for bus fair. He then started his routine trips to places like Westminster, Manchester, Marylebone, and even Birmingham.

Harry's first trip into the high-class places surrounding London was a disaster. In his plans to travel to these destinations, he never thought about what to do once he had arrived. He never bothered to think about how much he would stick out, and boy, did he stick out! He was the only boy running around looking half-starved, with rags for clothes. He couldn't possibly thieve having so much attention drawn to himself. In the end, he was forced to head back to the orphanage to formulate another plan, without any pickings at all. It was on this day that Harry learned a very important lesson, that patience is a virtue. Harry had had rushed through his plans so quickly, he didn't think of all the problems he could encounter.

After the embarrassing trip uptown, Harry spent all his spare time planning. He saved all his pickings, and only spent enough money on food to get by. He struck gold one night by following some rich guy from uptown who wanted to experience the wonders of pre-paid sex from the prostitutes of the slums. Once the man had acquired a hooker for the evening, Harry followed them into a dim alleyway, waiting for the two to strip off their clothing. Shortly after the couple was nude and in the throes of passion, Harry grabbed the man's pants and hightailed it out of there. After all, it was never a good idea to be around when a prostitute found out their john couldn't pay. And it usually got uglier when their pimps showed up. _Well, at least the man didn't go to the red light district_, Harry mused, pants in hand. People there were murdered if they couldn't pay.

Harry jogged all the way back to his orphanage and up to his room before he decided it was safe to check the pants for money. In the wallet he found three credit cards, two hundred pounds, some change, and an identification card. Harry discarded of the ID and credit cards by tossing them out the window, but kept the money. He wasn't going to get caught up in a credit card scheme –no, it was two risky. Ensuring that the other orphans were asleep, he hid the money under a loose floor board below his bed and soon fell asleep, dreaming of all that he could do with the money.

Upon awakening the next day, Harry retrieved the money from its hiding place and went shopping. He bought two dress shirts, one white, one black, two sweater vests, one green with gold designs, one sky blue with grey designs, two pairs of black slacks, and a pair of nice black, soft-soled boots he could run in. He figured he'd fit in to the fancy pickpocket destinations with the clothes… but he still reeked, his hair unclean and unruly. So he paid for a haircut. During his time at the Dursleys, Harry's hair was wild and uncontrollable, but since running way, it had grown to shoulder-blade length and was considerably tamer, so he just had the ends trimmed. Feeling much better already, he then headed to a corner store to buy himself basic necessities, such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, soap, underwear, and socks. When he was finished shopping, he only had twenty dollars left. He hid his money and purchases under the floorboard, and went back out, prepared to thieve some more.

The next time Harry went uptown, he had no problems fitting in. No one gave him a second glance, which made pick pocketing all the easier. He could slip in and out of the shadows without anyone noticing. The only downside was that the police patrolled more frequently uptown. But no place was perfect, and the pickings were great

Harry heard the creaking of the steps, which signaled Ms. Spence's arrival. Everyone sat a little stiffer, a little quieter as strolled into he kitchen, swaying drunkenly. She pointed a finger at the children and opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a strange gurgling sound. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she slumped over in a dead heap. Younger children screamed in fright, while the older kids backed away from her body, eyeing her warily as if she had some kind of disease.

One older boy called Marcus approached her cautiously, and felt for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "She's just unconscious," he said, reassuring the youngest children. "She should be fine when she wakes up." Sighs of relief and disappointed mutterings filled the air

"Well, you know what I say? While the Spence is asleep, the kids will eat!" yelled a boy named Marvin.

There were numerous roars of agreement before they all ran to the storage pantry. Some of the smaller kids ran to get markers and crayons to draw on the wall. The bravest children even drew on Ms. Spence!

Sneaking away in the middle of the chaos, Harry headed back to his bed, picking out his white dress shirt, sky blue sweater vest, black slacks, black boots, a pair of underwear, socks, a stick of deodorant, shampoo, and soap. He took all of this into the bathroom and took a quick shower in the unfamiliar emptiness of the room. When he was done, he hid his sanitary products once again and fetched his money. Slipping quietly down stairs and out the door, no one even saw him leave. It was time for him to go to work.


	4. Interlude

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Harry woke up wearier than he had ever been in his whole life. It wasn't a physical weariness, but more mental than anything else. It seeped into his bones, and made him feel sick. He was so tired of the orphanage, and the way he lived. He was tired of struggling to make a living, and having to act like an adult, when he hadn't had a chance to be a child yet.

He wanted to be able to depend on someone to take care of him, to wake up in the morning and be able to relax, and make friends. As much as Harry hated to admit it he needed someone to love him, someone to promise to always love him. He was so lonely, and so starved for human contact he felt he would shrivel up and die. Okay... so maybe he was being a little melodramatic, but being lonely and sick with weariness would do that to a person.

Harry slowly got up out his bed, and made it. The surrounding beds were already empty, as his roommates had gotten up earlier. Everyone was up early today, running around like chickens with their heads chopped off. Today was Sunday and officially adoption day. Everyone had to get up early to get cleaned up, and to pull out his or her best clothes, which admittedly wasn't that good looking. The sad thing about it was that even clean and in their best clothes they still somehow ended up looking like half starved urchins. Not surprising sense they were half starved urchins but still...

Harry made his bed and opened the loose floorboard under his bed. He grabbed his black dress shirt, green and gold sweater vest, black slacks, black boots, and a pair of under ware, socks, and his sanitary products. As he headed to the orphanage restroom once again, he came to a decision. Harry James Potter was going to get adopted today or he was going to die trying. This life wasn't for everybody, and it definitely wasn't for him.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry stood in a straight line with all the other hopeful adoptees. Couples arrived in pairs, appearing to actually have interest in adoption this time. Everyone then sat down to a meager meal of bologna sandwiches. The middle class couples ate their food mildly, not wanting to insult their host, while the upper class couples just sniffed disdainfully. The only ones who really enjoyed the meals were the orphans, who wolfed it down like it was food from God's table, content to have a free meal.

When everyone had eaten, the orphans lined up in a row in front of the couples, who began to stride down the line inspecting kids one by one. It made Harry bite back a sneer when he thought about how they inspected the orphans. The upper class couples would check the children's teeth, jerk their face in every which direction to get a proper look, and walk around their body testing their reflexes. One'd think they were checking out racehorses instead of searching for a child. A chubby young girl named Marcella was brought to tears as couple after couple merely passed her by, noses raised in the air.

The middle class couples went about it a little nicer. They had prepared a ton of questions for the children, firing them off excitedly. Questions like where are your parents? Or "how did you come to be here?" They even pressed certain children to recall any mentally ill members of their families, even going as far as to clap when the orphans gave them the answer they hoped to hear, patronizing them as if they were dogs who had just learned a new trick!

Still, Harry could see this was one of the most successful adoption days the orphanage had ever seen, regardless of his feelings about it. By noon, ten orphans had been adopted, and the crowd of couples was slowly dwindling to nothing. Harry was still among the many orphans still lined up. He might have had a chance at adoption if he had kept his temper under wraps, but his temper had been tested today. It was when a rich couple had come over to talk to him that he had really lost it.

The wife had cooed over his eyes and how pretty they were, with Harry enjoying being lavished with attention… that is, until she offhandedly commented to her husband how they would match her jade earrings at her home. Harry felt a rage building within him, spitefully telling the lady where to stuff her jade earrings. It wasn't until the couple had walked off that he felt a spark in his hand. He looked down to see blue lightning crackling around his hand.

Harry froze, cold terror creeping into his heart. He had forced all his memories of what had happened that faithful night out of his mind, and now, here he was, about to hurt someone else with his powers. He felt fear, sadness, and strongest of all, uncertainty, rise up within him. With his uncertainty, the lightning in his hand fizzled out. Sighing in relief, Harry looked around. Luckily no one had noticed his little secret, and the couple had now moved on.

The wife was now cooing over some sandy haired boy about how his hair matched her bedroom carpet. Harry snorted inwardly, thinking _good riddance_. He wanted to be treated like a human being, not an accessory. Lost within his thoughts, he never noticed a man hidden in the shadows watching his every move. The man had seen the whole scene, and his calculating gaze was trained on Harry.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Lucian Render was bored. His mother and uncle had dragged he and his younger brother down to a filthy orphanage. They were supposed to blend in, and inconspicuously search for orphans who showed signs of being mutants, or homosapiens as uncle liked to call them.

Personally he thought that sounded gay, and didn't use it, ever. These mutants were supposed to be children in orphanages with sad, depressing pasts lives. How cliché he thought morbidly.

Anyway, their task was easier said than done. His whole family was beautiful and drew attention to them wherever they went.

Lucian himself was only eight, but was already showing signs of inheriting his family's natural beauty. He was tall for his age with a lean figure, and surprisingly fat-free face. His hair was a spiky black that looked soft but was actually quite thick. In the center of his spiky black hair was a patch of shocking white hair, at his age that's what drew most people's attention to him. Then to his hazel brown eyes that flashed earth green every few seconds. He was wearing a blue sweater with green stripes, black slacks, black dress shoes, and a green scarf around his neck. His skin was a healthy pecan brown, and did nothing for him among all the dull colors.

Lucian was sitting down at the kitchen table of the James Oglethorpe orphanage. He and his younger brother Harlin were waiting for their mom and uncle. Lucian knew that this was important to his uncle but that didn't mean he had to like it. He wanted no part of his uncle's stupid quest to find more mutants, and supposedly bring them all together under one roof. All he cared about was training his powers to benefit him and his family.

Besides, no real mutant would subject himself or herself to this kind of treatment, nor would they live in a filthy place like this. The woman who ran the place was a creature herself, and she stank. She looked like she never even bathed, and reminded Lucian disgustingly of his grandfather's pigs on the thousand-dollar ranch he owned.

Lucian looked over to his younger brother and smiled. Young Harlin was the picture of innocence; just sitting they're playing with his soccer ball. Harlin was only one year younger than him at seven, but gave off the aura of being much younger. He was quiet, reserved, and too attached to what he already knew to make any changes. It was most likely due to his almost rape when he was just two by one of their father's "co-workers". Every since then their mother has spoiled him more than ever, and he was quite content to be spoiled. Even if that meant he would forever be attached to his mother's teat.

Thinking about it now Lucian could quite easily see how someone could be tempted to rape his brother. He looked so girly with his long black hair, wide purple eyes, soft features that showed how vulnerable he was, and creamy, smooth, caramel colored skin. He was every bit as his delicate features implied, too. Which meant that Lucian spent a lot of time looking after him. Not that he minded though. He loved his little brother and would always look out for him.

Lucian checked his diamond wristwatch for the time. It was 1:35in the afternoon, and Lucian figured he had done enough thinking to last him a lifetime.

"Вы хотите идти в спину и играть со своими футбольный мяч?" Lucian asked his little brother in Russian. He knew from experience that the language calmed him.

His brother nodded shyly and stood up from the table. We walked down the hall and turned into the

room where the adoption party was being held. They had to go through the room to get to he back. When they entered the room the brothers saw a sight that froze them in their tracks.

______________________________________________________

Translations:

1.Вы хотите идти в спину и играть со своими футбольный мяч

(Do you want to go in the back and play with your soccer ball?)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Harlin Render was shocked. Words could not begin to express how he was feeling. Outside he was the picture of calm, but inside his mind was racing a mind a minute. He and his brother were just going out back of the orphanage to play a little soccer, when they

happened upon the most incredible sight.

There was a boy who was manipulating lightning with his hands for all to see. It crackled around his fingers and made a faint humming noise, but no one appeared to notice. Harlin snapped his head to his brother, keen on his reaction.

To his disappointment his brother's face was schooled into a mask of indifference. He really should have been used to it. His brother never showed what he was thinking or feeling. Well come to think of it neither did his mother, father, uncle, or himself, really. It was like a family trait, and you had to have it to marry into their family. But just once Harlin would have liked to catch his big brother completely unaware.

There wasn't anything that special about being able to control lightning though. His brother and him knew somebody who could control electricity to a more impressive point, and someone who could store all types of energy like a one man storage tank, and then provide others with it. So what this boy was doing didn't impress Harlin any.

Observing the boy it was easy to see that he was afraid of his gift, even without his brother's power. His brother was blessed with the power to see people's greatest fears by looking into their hearts.

His own power took a lot more perception. In order to see beyond, he had to first see what was right before his eyes. His power was the ability to create illusions in front of the human eye that helped fool the brain, senses, and human instincts. That's why his brother and him made such a great team. Their powers complemented each other's.

Tapping his shoulder his brother signaled for him to be quiet. They slinked into the shadows to observe the boy more. The boy looked panicked. He obviously didn't know how to control his powers sense he looked around desperately, hoping no one noticed his predicament Responding to the boy's frantic emotions, the lightning slowly fizzled out.

The boy looked relieved, and cast his gaze around frantically to see if anyone had noticed his little mishap. The boy once again looked relieved, but then again he hadn't noticed us watching him yet.

Harlin grasped his brother's fingers so they could communicate telepathically.

"What should we do big brother?" Harlin asked, devotion ringing out in his voice, as clear as day. His big brother always knew what to do; he wouldn't fail them now.

"Well I know you won't like it but...we could invite him to play with your soccer ball with us."

Harlin took a step back as if his brother had slapped him. He knew he had gone pale, and could feel himself starting to shake. His fingers were starting to sweat and felt clammy. Boys he didn't know scared him, more specifically burly boys, boys who looked bigger than they were supposed to be.

Glancing at the boy, Harlin took in his appearance. He was shorter than him by three inches with sickly pale skin, and a slight build that made him look malnourished. He had wild, slightly tamed black hair that fell to thin shoulders, and vivid green eyes.

Harlin's body stopped shaking immediately. He may be scared of big boys, but this boy was smaller than him, and he wasn't a pussy (As he had heard his brother exclaim many a time)! Observing the boy Harlin could feel a predatory smile taking over his face. What most people failed to realize about him was that he was cruel, and a bit of a bully. He loved to torment children that were smaller than him. Although he was petite himself, he had a certain way about him that commanded attention and spoke of cruelty.

He felt that bullying others proved that just because he was almost raped didn't mean he was any less of a man. He could pick apart others with his eyes and spot their weaknesses just by observing them. He often used his powers to play men spirited jokes on others, but it depended on what you thought of as mean. None were the wiser to his cruel split personality, except maybe his uncle and a few choice others. Harlin could feel a smirk tugging on his lips as he and his brother approached the boy. Harry Potter never stood a chance.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry stepped out back of the orphanage. He was tired, seriously tired. Times like this made him wish he had some cigarettes. He didn't smoke, but he had heard they could calm you down and right now he needed to be calmed down.

He took deep breaths and slid down the wall. Every time he tried to get over it seemed like something happened that pulled him back down even harder and deeper. He could feel the tears building up behind his eyes, and for once he let them fall. He hadn't cried since that faithful night when he had killed his uncle, and even then he hadn't let the tears fall.

He didn't know how long he stayed there crying, but it must have been a long time, because he was startled when someone touched his shoulder. He twisted around in shock, his features frozen in fear. All he saw was two boys holding a soccer ball staring at him with undisguised fascination.

The first boy looked only a year or two older then him. He had black hair with a white patch in the middle, hazel brown eyes that continuously flashed earth green every few seconds. He scruntized Harry with a critical eye as if trying to decide if he was a threat.

The second boy looked to be Harry's own age, but was undeniably taller than him. His hair was longer and raven black, falling to just below his back. His features were soft and prominent, while his eyes were a dark purple, bordering on black.

The second boy was the most beautiful boy Harry had ever seen in all his eight years of life. There was something about him that drew Harry in, and made him feel safe and welcome, but at the same time something inside of him rejected the very thought of the boy, and was repulsed by him.

Looking into his eyes Harry saw a spark of curiosity, hunger (for what Harry didn't know), and an emotion Harry didn't recognize, but figured it was for the best that he didn't. Most likely it wasn't a very nice emotion that the boy was directing towards him. Both of the boys practically screamed rich with their clothes, jewelry, good looks, and well fed bodies, which made Harry all the more wary.

"Can I help you," Harry asked cautiously, which in his universal language meant, "Fuck off!"

"Hi I'm Lucian, and this is my younger brother Harlin, pleasure to meet you, we were wondering if you'd like to play with our soccer ball?" The older boy now named as Lucian asked. The younger boy named Harlin continued to stare at Harry with that weird glint in his eyes. Lucian strangely seemed to be sincere in his question, so Harry agreed. He played with their soccer ball and learned about each of them in turn.

Lucian and Harlin had strange powers just like him. Their uncle even ran a foster home where he taught people like them how to control their powers while living among their own people. People who would encourage your use of your powers and not beat you for losing control once in a while. Their types of people were called mutants and each one of them had a different power that revealed itself in different ways. Some mutants had mutations so extreme that they were a danger to themselves, others, and some couldn't even go out in public because of how they look. It was all very informative and Harry got himself roped into a promise to meet Lucian and Harlin's uncle. Hopefully he really was a mutant, because this was his one-way ticket out of here.

Lucian was very intense, Harry learned, especially about his younger brother, Harlin. Harlin himself didn't speak much, but he was very observant. Dark purple eyes followed each move Harry made with that persistent glint in them. It was kind of creepy really, but Harry didn't remark on it. He was always smirking, as if he knew some big secret you didn't. It was annoying but at the same time Harry was drawn to him like a moth was drawn to flame. Like all children his age he ignored his common sense that told him to stay away from Harlin, and tried to get to know him, never knowing how much he would come to regret his decision.

"I'm going to find uncle Corbyn, do you think you can wait here with Harry, I promise I'll be quick?" Lucian asked his younger brother nervously.

He really didn't want to leave him here alone, but if both of them went to find uncle then Harry might think that they played a joke on him, and run off somewhere. The only alternative was to send his brother out alone to find his uncle, and hell would freeze over before that happened.

"Yeah, no problem, you go ahead Lucian, and take your, I'll be fine with Harry here." Harlin responded with a reassuring smile on his face. Lucian breathed a sigh of relief and hurried back into the building.

He could take his time finding his uncle, he knew his brother was in good hands, and if necessary Harlin could take care of himself. Though Harry didn't know it, Lucian knew his brother already saw Harry as a friend. Well okay, maybe not a friend, but he thought Harry was interesting to watch. They'd be fine if for some reason he was delayed. That poor, naive,

deluded fool never knew what a mistake he made.

Harlin breathed a sigh of relief when Lucian entered the building again. He hated acting so innocent when his brother was around, but he didn't want to hurt him. His brother had such high expectations of him, and he just want to disappoint one his precious people. But now he could do what he had wanted to do since he had met Harry.

"Hey Harry, are you hungry?" Harlin asked sweetly. Harry just nodded guardedly, unnerved by Harlin's sudden talkative nature.

"Well our mother packed us a lunch, maybe you'd like to have some of it?" Harlin lied just as sweetly.

Harry seemed to hesitate, which annoyed Harlin to no end. So he used his powers to plant feelings of safety, comfort, and love in Harry's mind. Harry then nodded eagerly.

Harlin had to bite down a smirk as he replied," I'll be right back then, I have to go get it."

Harlin then used his powers to make Harry think he had left the room, when in reality he'd never moved from his spot.

After two minutes he used his powers to magically reappear with a lunchbox in his hands. Unseen, Harlin waved his hand to fool Harry's nose into thinking he actually smelled something, and his tongue to think he was eating actual food.

"Dig in Harry, you deserve it," Harlin said with a false smile.

Harry dug in enthusiastically, moaning in pleasure at the real food he was eating; having no idea he was actually eating dirt.

It took all of Harlin's control not to roll on the ground in laughter. It was so funny to watch this idiot eat dirtwhile thought it was an actual meal.

He might have pissed on himself from holding in the laughter if dangerous voice hadn't boomed," What the hell is going on here?"

Then he really did piss on himself.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

"Move over Kyle, I can't see!"

"Quiet Matthew, you'll wake him up!"

"If you move over I'll be quiet!"

"If you're quiet I'll move over!"

This was the sound that Harry Potter awoke to. At first he tried to block out the sound, and snuggled deeper into the warm blankets with a sigh. He had never slept in a blanket so comfortable. It was like sleeping on a cloud, or in a bed made of feathers. But as the voices got louder he was forced to wakeup. Suddenly, the events of yesterday hit him all at once. He started to panic; he didn't know where he was.

He sat up so fast he bumped heads with someone else. "Ah!" He cried out, recoiling to pain. He rubbed his forehead in an effort to ease the pain. He opened his eyes slowly this time, to examine his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he was in some kind of lab. It must have been a medical lab, because it was full of hospital beds, and had rows of shelves stocked with medicine. The wall was painted with pictures of Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Road Runner, Sylvester the cat, Bugs Bunny, Taz the Tasmanian Devil, Porky the Pig, and any other Looney Tunes you could think of. The painting had the characters waving at you, and painted above their heads was "Get well soon", in black letters. The picture calmed him down a little. He was most definitely in a Children's Hospital, but how did he get there was what he wanted to know.

Continuing to observe his surroundings he noticed a boy on the floor. The boy had blond hair, with a spiky patch of black in the front. He had wide, black eyes, and a piercing in his ear that was a black lightning bolt. He looked around my age and was rubbing his head in obvious pain.

"Told you not to wake him up," came another voice from beside him.

Harry twisted around so fast he got whiplash. There was another boy lying there on a hospital bed. He had shocking orange hair, that rose like flames, with a black patch in the front. His eyes were

also black, but they were narrowed and sharp. His nose was slightly pointy, and his lips thin. He had a piercing in his ear as well only it was a yellow-orange flame. His skin was a sickly pale color, and he wore a hospital gown that all patients wore. It was obvious the boy was sick, but he seemed to be in good spirit, if the wicked gleam in his eyes was anything to go by.

"What do you mean I woke him up, you were the one who pushed me, Dragon!" The boy yelled outraged.

The boy called Dragon raised an eyebrow.

"Do I look like I could push anyone in my condition, Surge," he mocked patronizingly.

The boy called Surge spluttered in indignation. He was hardly going to interrupt their argument he found it quite amusing. Thanks to Dudley he had never had any friends, so he never got to witness friendly arguments like this. He turned back to the boys conversation only to see them staring at him expectantly. He could almost here an annoyed voice saying "Well," in his head.

He blushed under their scrutiny. Sensing that he didn't hear the question Surge repeated it to me.

"Do you think Dragon pushed me or does he not look in any condition to push anyone like he said?" He asked, rolling his eyes at the idiocy of it all.

Harry was starting to panic again. He didn't

want to alienate the only two candidates for friends he had right now. He didn't know what to say. "I-I u-uh," He stammered pathetically. Luckily he was saved from having to answer when

someone new entered the room.

"Dragon, Surge, why are you bothering our guest?" Questioned a woman.

She was tall and shapely with red hair styled in a pixie cut, and earth green eyes. Her skin was pale, and her face pretty, with black painted lips, an upturned nose, and a mole on her right cheek, next

to her mouth. She looked to be in her early twenties, and was wearing a lab coat, and a nurses white dress under it.

"I thought I told you to two not to bother him," she continued voice rising in anger, when she got no answer.

"Well, you see it was like this-RUN!" Surge yelled.

He and Dragon took off like bats out of hell. They were out the door before anyone could protest.

The woman's right eye began to twitch, giving a sickly sweet smile to him she said," Excuse me for a moment please," and ran after them.

She came back three minutes later with a kicking, and screaming Dragon in her clutches.

Harry had to bite his lip to keep laughter from escaping.

She sat him down on his hospital bed and screamed," Rest now!"

Dragon tried to keep up an act of indifference but Harry could tell that he was afraid of the woman. Seeing that Harry wasn't buying the act of him not being afraid, he huffed and snatched the bed curtains closed.

The women then turned to him. He could see her eyes soften as she took in his state.

"Hello, I'm Laurenya Frost, and I'll be your doctor for this evening, what can I do for you?" She asked playfully, even managing to pull off a graceful curtsy.

Harry giggled, thoroughly amused, and that broke the ice between them.

"-,"

"Call me Mama," she interupted,"Everyone does."

"Well Ms. Mame, could I have something to eat, I'm frightfully hungry." He said meekly.

Then he snapped my eyes closed waiting for the hit to come. Uncle Vernon never allowed him to have anything to eat, and if he sked for some he would beat him so bad he wouldn't be able to digest food without hurling up what he'd just eaten.

Surprisingly she just laughed and said," I imagined you'd be hungry, so I fashioned you up something myself."

She walked out into the hallway and came back in pushing a food cart. The cart had two trays of steaming hot food. He felt his mouth water just looking at it. Mame took the first tray over to Dragon behind the curtain. He opened the curtain just wide enough to snatch the food, and snapped it back closed. Instead of being offended she just laughed again.

"You'll have to excuse Dragon, he has a flare for dramatics." She said, handing him a tray. He nodded and pulled the cover off the tray. He had never seen such a spread. Scrambled eggs, with blood sausages, bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, baked beans, a hash brown, and half of a tomato.

He practically inhaled his food, and slowed down embarrassed when Mame commented that the food wasn't going anywhere. Even though he was hungry he only managed to eat 2/4 of what

was on the plate. Mame frowned displeased with how much he ate, but thankfully didn't comment.

"You may go back to sleep, I'll check back on you two later." Mame said as she collected the finished trays and rolled the cart into the hallway. She turned off the light and closed the door. He sighed contently, and snuggled up to the sheets. He was no longer worried about where he was because he remembered the events from yesterday.

* _Flashback __*_

_"What the hell is going on here?" Someone roared. Harry backed away from the "food" and looked up. Emerald eyes met with raging, cold glass green._

_"U-Uncle Corbyn, what a pleasant surprise wasn't expecting you and Lucian so soon." Harlin said his tone forced and calm, but indicated just fine that it was not such a surprise to see him, nor was it pleasant._

_Harry broke the eye contact and let his eyes roam over the man's powerful form. He was tall at lest 6'4, with a lean but muscled figure. He had long black hair that was pulled back from his lean face. Glass green eyes that were piercing, high cheekbones, thin lips twisted into a scowl, and dark Carmel colored skin. He wore a blue colored silk suite that looked to be worth more than his aunt Petunia's house._

_"Cut the crap Harlin, why the fuck did you bewitches this boy's mind!" The man roared. _

_He looked murderous and his hand was twitching, as if it longed to reach out and grab Harlin by his neck. `Bewitch my thoughts, what does he mean, I feel fine, Harry thought confusedly. Catching a glance of himself in a muddy puddle he gasped at what he saw. _

_He was filthy, covered with mud, twigs, and leaves. His face was smeared with dirt, but especially around his mouth. Smacking his lips he could taste.... DIRT! He had been eating Dirt! He could feel his fury mounting, Harlin had fed him lies about food he didn't have, and bewitched him to eat dirt. His fury only heightened when he heard Harlin's next words._

_"Accidents happen, I lost control of my powers, It's to be expected, I'm only eight, you shouldn't feel like you failed or anything, the responsibility was just to great."_

_It wasn't the fact that he tried to justify what he did but more the way he said it. He said it so haughtily, and uncaringly that Harry was willing to bet he had done this before. What really sent Harry over the edge though was when Harlin shot him a superior smirk?_

_Without further warning Harry charged at Harlin, his hands crackling with blue lightining. The man was so shocked about Harry's mutant power that he didn't intervene._

_"Aw, tsk tsk Harry, didn't learn your lesson last time, you going to off me like you did your uncle?" Harlin taunted as he dodged Harry's violent thrust with his lightning charged hands. _

_Harry paused for a minute in shock, before continuing his thrust, stronger and faster than before. Just when it seemed like he was going to hit Harlin, black shackles appeared on his wrist chaining him down as a woman's voice roared_

_"Enough!"_

_Harry was thrown back violently along with Harlin who jerked forward in suprise._

_"What is going on here?" Came the same voice. _

_The source was a woman who stood about 5'9 with long black hair pulled into bun, wide purple eyes framed by long lashes, pouty red lips, high cheekbones, and carmel colored skin. Her body was curvaceous and looked like it was sculpted by the gods. She wore a long black trench coat, hip hugger jeans, and black high heels. She looked startlingly like Harlin! _

_"I won't ask again," She said her voice cold, and low. _

_A visibly scared Lucian peaked from behind her._

_"Uh, hi mom," Harlin said his voice wavering as her ice-cold glare landed on him._

_"Corbyn?"She said looking at the man questioningly._

"_Well Isabeau, see it happened like this.... see what he was trying to do was, it was all Harlin's doing!" And in that way he watched proud grown man turn into a scolded child, placing blame, and making up excuses._

_After released him from his shadow bines (as she called them) we all sat down and discussed what had happened like reasonable, civilized people. They decided that he had to be trained no matter what and that they were the perfect ones for the job. They were going to talk to about taking him in as a foster child, along with all the other mutant children they had found in their journey. What satisfied Harry the most though was when he told Harlin's mother about the events that went on before her arrival, she took one look at Harlin, her gaze unimaginably chilly, and said_

" _It'll never happen again, I can promise you that." _

_* End Flashback*_

He must have fallen asleep after that because that's all he remembered. Then he awoke to those two arguing in that most amusing way. He was happy to see that he was in a much better place. With those last thoughts he drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Harry Potter awoke once again in the middle of the night, this time in a cold sweat. He had been having nightmares about the night he killed his uncle every sense he had come to the Children's Hospital. He didn't know what provoked these dreams, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

When Mame came to check up on him she would always have a sad, vacant expression on her face. She would examine him, shake her head disappointedly, and jot something down on her clipboard and leave. Dragon had long ago been released, but came back once in a while to visit.

Harry was so surprised when he saw him again that Dragon had to explain that this was a Children's Hospital Wing inside a house. More like a mansion really Harry had privately commented after being allowed a glance around. Dragon explained to him that this house took in orphans with strange powers like him. So he had finally figure out where he was. The place that Lucian had told him about, the one his uncle ran. Everyone here had some kind of power or gift that they brought to the table.

Dragon demonstrated that he could breathe, and control fire. To him that was special because most people with firepowers could only manipulate it, not create it.

Mame was gifted with healing abilities. She could heal anything and anyone with a simple twitch of her fingers. As she demonstrated when she healed Harry's scars from his encounter with his uncle. That's when things started to go bad, and he started having nightmares about the night he killed his uncle.

He didn't get much sleep, which led to shadows under his eyes, and lost of appetite. Dragon stopped visiting for a while, and when he came back he was skittish around Harry. He denied being skittish and avoiding Harry when he confronted him on it, but he didn't make eye contact and left quickly after that.

The most exciting day he'd had so far was when Mame let Dragon lead him around the manor for a tour, in a wheel chair of course. He swore these people thought he would break at the slightest inconvenience. Harry got to meet all of the other mutant kids

around his age.

First there was Justin Permberly, he liked to be called Thunderbolt. He had an Irish accent and was more of a loner. He had the power to conduct energy, but couldn't control it. At first Harry didn't understand, but then Justin bitterly compared himself to a storage tank. He just held energy he didn't use it himself.

He had so much anger and hate built up inside of him for a ten year old. Scarily he reminded Harry of himself at his uncle's house, angry and bitter at the world. The thing that shocked Harry most about Justin though was his appearance. He had spiky blond hair, cobalt blue eyes, and brown skin! Harry had never seen a black boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, but he wisely never mentioned it to Justin.

Next was Tristen Willington, nicknamed Ice Surfer. He had limp brown hair that glistened, ice blue eyes, and pale skin. He was best friends with Thunderbolt, and controlled ice to such an extent that he could whip up blizzards without even trying. He liked to skateboard, and promised to teach him. He won't hold his breath, though. From what Dragon told him Tristen was a real flake. If you're not dying, don't count on Tristen, seemed to be a common phrase around the house.

After him was Muriece Lonigan, nicknamed Screech. He was the youngest out of all his visitors at six years old. He was a brown skinned, green-eyed youth with black haircut into a mow-hawk. His most famous attributes were the canary feather that he keeps in his hair, and his yellow bird like tail. He wore a necklace of shells around his neck and bronze ankle and wrist bracelets. He had tribal tattoos all over his back. He wasn't too hard to understand with his Australian accent but he tended to take long pauses in between sentences to grasp the right words.

Leon Mirandez was after that, nicknamed Wildcat. He was ten with sandy blond hair, and moss green eyes. He was olive skinned, with cat ears and a cattail. His face had four triangular shaped marks on his face that made him really look like a cat. He was Spanish and born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. His powers were the weirdest he'd seen so far. He could transform into a Were-cat whenever he wanted. He was a sporty guy who enjoyed playing

Basketball, and running track among other things.

His best mate was Henry Lacreson, or Shadow Wolf. He was also ten with spiky brown hair parted to each side of his head, brown eyes, and pale skin. He wore a dog collar around his neck with spikes protruding from it. Like Leon he had dog-ears and a dog tail. His and Leon's friendship was so weird because, he could transform into a werewolf at will. Him and Leon should have been worst enemies, but they were not. Henry was a troublemaker plain and simple. He liked to play pranks, annoy people, and basically cause trouble. But that was apart of his charm; at least that's what Dragon said.

Then there was Zachary Francis, or Taser, who could shoot destructive red beams out of his hands. He was completely bald except for a patch of spiky orange hair in the front of his head that

he tied back; he had sky blue eyes, and pale skin. He had piercing in his eyebrows and his ears, which really surprised Harry since he was only ten. He was basically a rebel. He loved to cause a stir, and teamed up with Henry on a regular basis to cause a bigger stir

There was Terrance Lawson or Diablo, who had super strength and had black horns sprouting from his head. He had short blood red hair that matched his pale skin perfectly, glowing red eyes, and fangs. He was really tall for a twelve year old and rail thin, but unlike Harry he had a solid build to him. He seemed to adore Harlin, which in Harry's mind meant he hated him.

After him came Andrew Rhodes, commonly referred to as Naga. A narrow faced boy with sickly gold eyes, and spiky green hair. He was a snake hybrid and could transform into a huge one like the size of a mini van. He was mostly a loner but sometimes talked to Oracle.

That leads him to Jenna Morgan and her sister Elizabeth Morgan, or as everyone called them Psych and Oracle. Jenna can read minds and feel emotions, while Oracle (as she preferred to be called) could see into the past, present and future. For the two being sisters they were completely different. Jenna had long brown hair, with sky blue eyes, and ginger freckles spread across her nose and cheeks. She was really social and outgoing, while Oracle had white hair, really pale almost colorless blue eyes, and flawless alabaster skin, and was anti social.

Then there was Akatake Yoshizowa, but everyone calls her Blade. She can any part of her body parts. She had black hair streaked with an orchid pink color. Her eyes were black. She was totally punk though, with 3 eyebrows piercing each, three dots under both of her eyes, and four piercing in each of her ears. She was one of the only two Japanese kids in the whole mansion.

The other Japanese girl was Nasa Tsumara or Tempestt. She was a pretty girl who could control dangerous winds. Her hair was blue and cut short to end at her ears. Her eyes were brown, and her skin was pale and flawless, except for a smattering of freckles on her cheek.

Aditi Shizuri came after her. She was an Indian girl from New Delhi, India; call her Bombay. She could make explosives and control them. She was completely obsessed with explosions.

She had long, black hair she braided back, black eyes, and dark skin.

After her came Nathan Travers or Twin-Tails. He was the oldest boy he'd met at fifteen. He had a devil's ears, horns, and two devil twin tails. His hair was a messy, spiky brown, his eyes sea blue, his skin a tanned brown, and his accent American.

There was Travis Prescott a Dutch twelve year old who we called Twister. He could only control massive storms like hurricanes, tornadoes, and typhoons and wouldn't you know it, twisters. His hair was brown with green streaks, and his eyes were amethyst. He had three piercing above his right eye, and was a rather quiet boy. He mostly stuck with Naga.

Ellen Vanders or Shadow Breaker was after that. She could control light and bend it to her own will. She had long blond hair, and muddy brown eyes. She was a social butterfly and lived to gossip with the other mutant girls.

He already knew Dragon or Kyle, Harlin or as he was called here Trickster (It suited him all to well), Surge or Matthew, and Lucian known as Crypt. But he learned that Surge could also control lightning but his was black. He was going to help him in his beginner training.

Harry sighed in content, and drifted back off to sleep. Allowing the thought that this was his last night alone to lull him to sleep.


	11. Interlude 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Harry awoke to the bright light of the sun shinning through the medical lab's window. Harry pushed his covers back, and stretched, feeling fully rejuvenated, and in much better spirits than he had been in a long time. He took a seat by the largest window of the medical lab. It allowed a magnificent view of the mansions courtyard.

There were tress such as Magnolias, Maples, Oaks, and Redwood in the courtyard. There were flowers he immediately recognized such as Narcissus, Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinth, Lilies of the Valley, Lilac, Irises, Junipers, Jasmines, Gingers, Lilies, and Yuccas. It was a beautiful spacious garden with benches so people could sit and take it all in, and a swing set. There was even a little picnic table set in the center of the garden. It was very charming.

For entertainment there was a basketball court, a track field, swimming pool, skateboard park, and a small beach stationed all around the huge property. They would never need to leave the mansion for anything except for school and shopping, all the entertainment was already here. Of course it was not just all fun and games. There was a stonewall built around the whole estate to keep trespassers out and a motion sensor security system.

There was a knock on the door, and someone came in.

"Morning Harry, how are you feeling today?" Mame asked cheerfully.

For once she was not wearing her doctor outfit but something more casual. She wore a knee length khaki skirt that flared out, a white blouse with puffy short sleeves that hugged her figure, and black high heels

."I feel fine Mame, better than, ever actually," Harry answered, never turning away from the window.

"Well that's good...say, how would you like to have breakfast with all the others today?" She asked with a hint of excitement creeping into her voice.

Harry swung his head around quickly. "Do you mean it?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes your quarantine time is over, and you are scheduled for release today anyway, so I see no problem with it." Mame replied with a grin.

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed hopping all over the room in anticipation.

"Well if you want to be on time, you had better hustle and get ready, there are some clothes in the cabinet under the medicine shelf, there is a bathroom down the hall, just look for a girl chasing a boy down the hall screaming curses in another language, and go in the direction she's coming from." Mame said walking out of the room.

Harry sweat dropped somewhat confused, but shrugged it off. He grabbed an emerald sweater, a pair of boxers, a pair of black slacks, and a pair of black dress shoes from inside the cabinet like he was told, and headed out into the hallway.

He was just about to find someone for directions when he heard someone screaming, "Henry you spineless coward, when I catch up to you I'm going to stuff one of my bombs down your throat just so I can watch you explode from the inside out!"

Harry unconsciously took a step back from the genuine rage in the voice.

"What was that, I couldn't hear you Bombay!" A boy's voice shouted back obviously taunting her.

"You stupid as mother fucker, if I ever catch you I will rip off your dick and make you eat it!" the girl shouted back in a different language.

For an unknown reason Harry shivered and cupped his family jewels protectively. He could here the voices getting closer.

"You want this Bombay, huh you want this, well you better run just a little bit faster!" The boy shouted back.

Harry could now feel the floor shaking, as the fighting teenagers got closer. Suddenly they rounded the corner and Harry recognized Aditi Shuzuri in a pair of boxer shorts, and a strappy red tank top, obviously her pajamas, her dark skin tinted red in rage. Henry or Shadow Wolf wasn't far ahead of her in only his boxers, leaving his well-toned chest exposed to any one who looked. For reasons Harry wouldn't understand for many years he blushed and hid his face.

"Come and get it Bombay, You know you want it!" Henry yelled skidding past Harry while waving a bra in the air.

Aditi's dark cheeks were flushed red in embarrassment and rage, as she charged towards Henry. They were soon out of Harry's sight but he could still here Aditi's enraged yells.

Shaking his head Harry went in the direction Aditi and Henry had just come from, wondering if Saturday mornings in the manor were always so crazy.


	12. Author's Note

**Author's Note: I need suggestions for a codename for Harry. It should have something to do with his powers and please no offensive name! Your help is greatly appreciated, and I will take all suggestions into consideration.**

** Thanks,**

** Midnight Writer Shadrach**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the suggestions for Harry's codename. I really appreciate all the helpful ideas. Especially from'Sammie'who was very specific and gave countless name. I think that's the longest worded review I've gotten so far. Thanks again, I really do appreciate it. The name I will choose won't appear to next chapter, so there is still time for last minute suggestions. **-** Midnight Writer Shadrach**

Harry stepped out of the shower and dried his body off with a towel. He then wrapped the towel around his waist and took the chance to admire his appearance in he mirror. He had filled out a lot since he had first arrived at the manor.

His skin was still pale, but it was no longer sickly, and seemed to glow. His hair now ended a little under his ears, and appeared punkish with green streaks, and his ends were jaggedly cut. Zachary had thought he needed a new look, but when he refused any piercing he suggested hairstreaks. His face was less gaunt, and his eyes positively glowed. He hadn't needed glasses since the night he killed his uncle miraculously, and it made his eyes all the more beautiful. He smiled appreciatively at his own appearance and slipped on his clothes.

Walking back out into the hallway Harry had to stop. He didn't know where the dinning room was; Mame hadn't told him. Huffing he prowled up and down the hall looking for someone to show him the way with no luck."Lost?" Someone breathed in his ear.

Startled, Harry spun around to see Harlin grinning at him, his eyes glinting in vindictive amusement

."What the fuck do you want," Harry whispered harshly.

Harlin's smile turned mocking and he put his hands over his heart as if he'd been wounded.

"Harry you wound me, I know you're upset I didn't visit you in the medical wing, but I was busy, and by busy I mean I had things to do," he replied, contempt coloring every word. Harry had to contract his muscles hard to keep from reaching out and breaking the nose on his too pretty face.

"Yeah, I bet you were real busy, busy getting punished by mommy that is," Harry retorted smirking.

Harlin clenched his fists and grinded his teeth, and Harry knew they were about to have an all out brawl right there in the middle of the hallway. Well, at least they would have if Twin-Tails hadn't come waltzing down the hall in nothing but some loose, low riding long john pants.

"Hey Harlin, running a little late for breakfast are you not?" He asked with a frown. His tails drooped showing his displeasure.

"Yes, I'm sorry Nathan, but I bumped into Harry here you see, and I just had to catch up with him,"Harlin said with this pathetic kicked puppy expression on his face.

Unseen, Harry shot a bird a t the back of his head.

"It's fine Harlin, I won't tell your mother if you hurry you might even make it on time." Twin-Tails told him ruffling his hair and smiling fondly.

Suprisingly, Harlin smiled a true smile, gave Twin-Tails a quick hug, and took off around the corner at a breakneck speed. Turning to Harry Twin-Tails frowned.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced, I'm Nathan, but call me TwinTails."He paused for a moment looking Harry over." You're Harry the new boy right, well don't let Harlin get you, he's a big softy under his tough exterior."

Catching his incredulous look he chuckled and asked," You know Dragon right?" At his nod he continued." Well Harlin use to bait and prank him like he does you, but he only does it to test you by your reactions, in this way he judges if you can be trusted, he and Dragon are best friends now."

Harry frowned at this, it did explain Harlin's abnormal and unprovoked hate of him." If you're looking for the kitchen go around the corner, get on the elevator and go to the first floor, turn to the left corridor, then turn right, then left again, by then you should arrive at a pair of French Double doors, that's the dinning room." Twin-Tails said walking away. Pausing, he turned back to Harry, smiled, and said, "Welcome to the Mad House."


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer:I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry stepped into the elevator that would take him to the first floor for breakfast. He was just about to push the button to close the door when someone crashed into him. Actually it was several someones.

"Get the fuck off me Henry, you ass!" Jeena, more commonly known as psych yelled.

"Please, you act as if you don't enjoy having some man touch your repulsive body," Henry scoffed, still making no move to get up.

"Why you conceited little ass, as if you could be considered a man, you don't have the right bits,"Jenna shot back scornfully while unsuccessfully trying to push Henry's bigger form off her body.

"Be calm children, at this rate we'll never make it to breakfast on time, besides we have company," Oracle intervened, her pale blue eyes locking on his form in the corner.

The two teens blushed in chagrin at their poor behavior and scrambled up off the floor.

"Not that Henry needs to get to breakfast on time, loves him, a regular teacher's pet he is,"Jeena leered, getting in one last shot before a look shot before Oracle silenced her with a look.

"Hello Harry, its nice to finally meet you, I'm Oracle, please call me Elizabeth, I need no reminder of my cursed and yet oh so blessed gift." Oracle said, staring into space wistfully.

Harry took a step back," How do you know my name," he asked eyeing her warily.

"Your name is written in the stars, you do indeed have a great future ahead of you, such great things you will accomplish, written in the stars it is." Elizabeth replied in a dreamy voice that put Harry on edge.

Jeena rolled her eyes." What my dear sister means is that everyone knows your name, gossip travels fast around here you'll find," she said with a wry grin that Harry found himself returning.

"Jeena, Jenna Morgan, most people call me that, just Jeena not the nickname," she said firmly.

"Sup, name's Henry, but I'm sure you've figured that out by now," he said with a sheepish grin.

The elevator pinged, signaling they had reached the second floor.

"Well come on Lizzie, this is our stop," grumbled Jeena pulling on her sister's arm.

"See you at breakfast Harry, we have a quick errand to run,"Jeena said smiling sweetly at him, and completly ignoring Henry.

Before the elevator doors closed he could hear Jens scolding her sister.

"How many times have I told you to stop scaring the children, at this rate you'll never make any friends." He didn't get to her response, though, as the doors snapped close. Now it was just Henry and he.

Harry looked up to see Harry looking him over with a speculative gleam in his eyes, "Do you have yourself a girlfriend?" he asked with a wicked gleam in his eye.

"No," Harry responded slowly wary of where this was going.

"Well you stick with me and I'll help you get that paper, that cheddar, that mullah, you know what I'm saying, cause that's the only way them girls be checking for you," Henry continued using so much American slang Harry almost didn't understand him, but he got the jest of what he was saying.

"No thank you Henry, I'm just plain old Harry, no girl would ever want me." Harry mumbled, making sure to look pathetic so Henry would leave him the hell alone.

"Well whatever floats your boat Sprite, I could hook you up with some boys too, it's your choice; look I'm going to give you my card, and you call me if you ever need something." Henry said, apparently not taking the hint.

Ignoring the fact that Henry had just implied he was gay, Harry asked, "What did you just call me?"

"I called you Sprite, it's a now well-documented electrical discharges that occur high above some types of thunderstorms. They appear as luminous reddish-orange or greenish-blue, plasma-like flashes, last longer than normal lower stratospheric discharges (typically around 17 milliseconds), and are triggered by the discharges of positive lightning between the thundercloud and the ground, anyway its your nickname now, me and the other already voted on it, so you're stuck with it," Henry sprouted off sounding surprisingly intelligent but still obnoxiously so.

"Sprite, huh, I like it," Harry said rolling it off his tongue.

"Yeah, whatever, so get this, we all heading down to the mall in Birmingham tomorrow, you come too; I'll hook you up with some cool gear, okay?"

Harry was saved from responding when the elevator pinged, and the doors slid open Harry scrambled out the doors not looking where he was going.

"Give my phone a ring if you need some condoms home boy, I won't ask if you don'tstanding around turned to look at Harry. He could feel his face heat up as he scuttled away from the crazy boy.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: To my reader's, I really want to apologize for my ineptitude with P.O.V**

**I really do try but it looks like I still switch point of view sometimes. Looks like I will just have to try harder, I'll just have to follow what I'm writing more closely to avoid more slip-ups.**

Harry finally made it to the dining room to his immense relief. He was beginning to think he would never make it here between getting lost and running into the crazy mutants inhabiting the mansion. They were each nice in their own way...okay, so maybe Henry wasn't especially nice, but he did try in his own jackass way. Taking a deep breath he pushed the French double doors open.

What he saw amazed him. The dining room was huge! The walls were cream colored and covered with painted angels. There was a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling over a long, purely glass table. There were so many breakfast dishes on that table his eyes hurt from staring.

Pancakes, Waffles, Pastries, Kedgeree, Lemon Curd, Baked Beans, Marmite, Boiled Eggs, Bacon, Blood Sausages, Eggs, Hash browns, Kippers, Porridge, Sugar Beets, Rice, Toast, Cereal, Black Pudding, Croissants, Bagels, Buns, Cinnamon Rolls, Baguettes, Apples, Pears, Bannannas, Peaches, Strawberries, Oranges, Guavas, Mangoes, Cashews, Passion Fruit, Yogurt, Olives, Cheese, Ham, French Toast, English Muffins, Sandwiches, Biscuits, Hot Chocolate, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Milk, Cream, and Sugar, Tea, and ect.

Everyone was sitting around the table in groups. Harlin sat with Dragon, Thunderbolt, Ice Surfer, Surge, a girl and boy he didn't recognize. Henry was with Wild Cat, Taser, and Blade. Another group consisted of Lucian, Naga, and Diablo. Twin-Tails sat by himself a little way from a group of girls that consisted of Ellen, Aditi, Elizabeth, Jeena, Tempestt, and the only boy, Screech.

Looking for somewhere to sit he realized the only person he knew enough to sit with was Dragon. Well he'd met Twin-Tails, Henry, Jeena, and Elizabeth, but he didn't know them very well. There was also the revelation that Dragon was a friend of Harlin's. Harry didn't know how he felt about that yet; it was all so very complicated. Resigning himself to whatever may come he slowly trudged over to the table.

"Hi there Harry, nice to see you again," Dragon said with an uncertain grin, and shifty eyes."

Yes it's nice to see you to Dragon," He replied, but his eyes were fixed sorely on Harlin's face, waiting for his reaction. Harlin for his part let nothing in his features give him away. There was a frown on his pretty face, and his eyebrows were slightly creased indicating thought, but he made no show of hostility. The air was tense, and everyone in their little group quiet until Harlin spoke.

"Potter, I admit myself surprised you even showed up," he paused and smirked," but sense you're her why not meet the others?"

"Surge," Matthew said simply, not meeting his eyes.

"Thunderbolt," Justin said watching him with a calculating gleam in his eyes.

"Ice Surfer," said Tristen, not looking up from the Peach he was peeling.

"They call me Grim, but you can call me Charlus," the new boy he didn't recognize said.

He had soft pretty features like Harlin, with milky white pale skin, light brown hair cut in a bowl style, honey brown eyes, and a sweet smile. He wore a black skull cap, black long sleeved shirt with a white skull in the center and read BERMUDA, in bold capitalized letters, black cargo shorts with a skull belt buckle, and black combat boots.

"Hi I'm Harry, nice to meet you," He responded with a smile.

It was the kindest remark he'd received since he walked in the dining room.

"Charlus,"Harlin gritted out through clenched teeth, his eye twitching almost unseen."

It's okay what I mean to say is he's okay, you know, that I know, that you know, I know this,"Charlus said tilting his head to the side while smiling at Harlin.

To his surprise Harlin nodded shortly and relaxed.

Harlin stared pointedly at the new girl, who in turn pointedly ignored him in favor of smearing Marmalade on her toast.

"Kasherie,"growled Harlin.

"What," the girl sneered, her black eyes flaring to life. "Don't expect me to come running at your beck and call, how quickly you forget I only tolerate you because of Charlus's insane fascination towards you, but don't presume you can order me around," the girl snapped.

"You don't have me in check like the rest of these losers and Charlus," she said by way of dismissal, and stood up, taking her food with her she walked away. Harry let his eyes follow her.

She was a dark beauty with her black haircut into a short pixie like style, pale skin, and heavily lidded onyx eyes. She turned back abruptly to catch his eye, and winked. He could feel his cheeks heating up, and fought hard to keep the blush from becoming noticeable.

"Don't worry about Kasherie, she's always cranky in the morning,"Charlus said with burning cheeks. Harlin was unaffected by Kasherie's sudden departure, if him nonchalantly peeling a grape was anything to go by.

"Look, it's to damn early for all this tension, just sit and eat Potter,"Harlin said with a weary tone.

He was too shocked to protest when someone yanked him into a chair. They all stared at Harlin like he was crazy, except Charlus who just beamed.

"What,"Harlin exclaimed, his cheeks heating up from their incredulous stares.

"Just eat, you can thank Charlus for my grace," He snapped, spearing a slice of smoked ham with his fork.

He watched Harlin for a little bit longer, but when he made no aggressive moves, he began to relax. That didn't mean he was crazy enough to eat food sitting in front of him. Harlin might have done something with it. Before he could pick out a platter to choose from, someone tapped his shoulder. He turned to see Twister standing behind him.

" wants to see you," he said stoically.

"Mr. Conteur?"He asked confusedly.

"He's talking about Uncle Corbyn,Conteur is his last name,"Harlin intervened frowning slightly.

"Well alright, I suppose it's not a problem, but where is his office?" He asked nervously."

I've been asked to show you his office, follow me," Twister drawled.

He had lost his appetite. He stood up and followed behind Twister. His only thought was, "What did I do wrong now?'


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Harry had been sitting in the office of Mr. Conteur for about twelve minutes and the man still had yet to arrive. It was actually quite annoying to be requested to go to someone's office and find him or her missing, not to mention the fact that his stomach was starting to growl. He sat back in the chair with a huff just as someone entered the room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Potter, but Mr. Conteur had some business to take care of and suggested I speak to you instead," came a deep voice. He spun around expecting to see a man only to have to look up to see a face.

The man was incredibly tall standing at 6'4 with a thickly muscled build. He had brown hair twisted into dreadlocks and sparkling hazel brown eyes. His skin was a lovely pecan brown and his face was incredibly chiseled giving him a rugged type of look.

"I am Samuel Render an…I guess you can say investor in this fine establishment." The man continued while taking a seat in the leather chair behind the desk he was sitting in front of. "Nice to meet you, I'm Harry Potter." He said suddenly very shy in the presence of such a powerful man.

"No need to be shy Mr. Potter, I'm actually just here to take care of the more technical matters of you living here, such as finances, schooling, and your living arrangements." Mr. Render said formally.

Harry hung his head sadly. He should have known that this was all to good to be true. These people couldn't afford to take care of him, and he didn't want to be a burden. It looked as if it was back to the orphanage for him.

"Oh no Mr. Potter, you misunderstand my explanation," Mr. Render said catching his glum expression. "What I meant was that I checked into your past to see if you had any relatives, a bank account maybe, I guess a real history is what I'm trying to say." Mr. Render said gently.

"What I found out really interested me, it seems you come from a family of abusers," he paused, "tell me does the name Petunia Dursley ring any bells. Harry visibly stiffened in his chair. He was in full panic mode, they'd found out about his uncle, now they were going to send him to jail.

"Mr. Potter please calm down so I can continue, I promise we will not send you to jail or harm you in any way for what was done in the past." Mr. Render said exasperated at comforting the boy at every turn. "Damn Corbyn skipping out on his duties," he mumbled under his breath.

"Now as I was saying I checked into your past and met your aunt Petunia who had nothing but _nice_ things to say about you." Forgetting where he was Harry snorted. "Yeah, and I'm going to grow up and become a drag queen." Mr. Render looked at him with a mock stern expression. "Whether you do or don't grow up to be a drag queen is your decision, please don't allow me to stop your dreaming, but I would really like to get through this, may I continue?"

Biting his lip to hold back a retort he sat back with a huff, nodding his consent. "Well, like I said I talked to your aunt and she told me about how she '_took care of you', _of course with a little_ persuasion _she was more than happy to tell us about the abuse you suffered at their hands, and of course how you killed your uncle." Mr. Render said while rambling around in a folder.

"I didn't mean to, it was an accident I swear, but he made me so angry and I was so scared-," Harry blurted out only to be stopped by a hand placed on his shoulder. "You don't need to explain yourself to me young Mr. Potter, I understand perfectly why you did what you did perfectly." The man admitted kneeling down to look him in the eyes. "You do," Harry whispered in aw, full of hope that someone would understand him.

"Yes, you see my parents were a lot like your relatives, except they were more military style in the running of their household, and as you can imagine they were not the least bit understanding when my mutation emerged and I was beaten and almost killed execution style by them." Mr. Render said standing to unbutton his shirt.

"I still have most of the scars, looking at them most would think they are all physical, but most of them are mental." When I'm around my kids I have to be extra careful not to slip up and lose control or cross the line into child abuse like my parents did, statistics say because of my own child abuse I'm more likely to abuse my own children, but I won't give in like that. I won't become just another statistic I'm going to be an exception and give my children all the love I never experienced. Mr. Render finished speaking just as his shirt came off.

He turned his back to him so he could see it. There were hundreds of scars layering his back, most looked old but there were some new ones. There were small, medium, and large sized ones. Ones shaped like they'd been burned into his skin, some looked like they were shaped from being stabbed, but the ones he instantly recognized were the ones made by belt s.

He looked up at the man with wide eyes; he'd finally met someone with some of the same experiences as him. Mr. Render paid him no attention as he buttoned his shirt back up. "What happened to your parents?" He asked timidly. "I killed them, just like I did to your aunt of course, oh and don't worry your cousin Dudley went to a nice, warm, cuddly _orphanage_." Mr. Render said in an offhanded way that made Harry shiver. "Right, um thanks I guess," he said awkwardly.

Mr. Render just nodded shortly and sat back in his chair, making Harry sigh in relief.

"Back to what we're supposed to be talking about, your finances-", "I don't have any money," Harry cut in deciding to end this discussion quickly. "Yes you do, and if you would let me continue you would find out how," Mr. Render snapped coldly, staring Harry in the eyes until he had to look away.

"Your parents Lily and James Potter were investors in stock. No one really knew where they came from or where the got the money to invest in stocks but as soon as they invested they disappeared again. "Their death certificates stated that they died on October 31, 1981 but does not state the cause of death oddly enough." Mr. Render read from the folder.

"So I have money," Harry asked shyly. "Isn't that what I just said, Mr. Render snapped rubbing his temple with long nimble fingers. Harry cringed at the angry voice; he didn't mean to be a burden. "How much money do I have?" He ventured on meekly. Picking up the paper he read from it. "You have 1,360,500 pounds in your account, less than what's in my account but enough for you to never have to work a day in your life."

Harry blinked rapidly feeling faint. After all these years of scrounging for food and money he'd had a bank full of money that would have allowed him to live comfortable. Fait just loved to screw him over in the most ironic ways Harry thought irronicly.

"Next on our list of things to discuss is your schooling. The schools of this neighborhood are in the elite and good for nurturing a child's mind but their bids are a little on the expensive side." Receiving a nod from him he continued.

"First there is St Vincent De Paul RC, a Primary School they ask for 400 pounds for a whole year to enter and you have to take an entrance exam. They're very demanding but they can motivate you to try harder so it's a good endeavor."

"Second there is The Westminster Academy that specializes in Business and Enterprise, they are more expensive at 600 pounds but their exclusive learning experience is worth it, they usually only except kids from 11-18 but could be persuaded to make an exception if you pass the entrance exam and of course the money is right."

"Third there is St Marylebone C of E, a school that specializes in Performing Arts, Math, and Computing. It's a good for very talented artist, dancers, musicians, mathematicians, and computer enthusiast, really anyone who considers what they do as art. Their bid is on the cheaper side at 300 pounds because they don't care where you come from as long as you're an exquisite artist. They've also bee known to hand out more scholarships than any other school."

"Last but not least is Pimlico Academy in Westminster, London. They accept children ages 7-11 and specialize in music. Their bid is 600 pound, but instead of an entrance exam you have to play an original piece of music that you made yourself." Mr. Render ended, putting away the list of schools.

"Which one do you think you would be interested in going to?' He asked wearily. Harry sat back in thought. St Vincent De Paul was one of the less expensive schools but he couldn't see himself there. The Westminster Academy was way expensive but did teach Business and Enterprise, the only setback was he wasn't old enough to enter yet. Pimlico Academy wouldn't work because he couldn't play an instrument, so only St Marylebone was the only school left.

It could work he thought excitedly. While Harry was at the orphanage he'd found that he had a talent for drawing. He could always capture the details just right to make someone think they were looking at a real picture. That settled he cleared his throat to get Mr. Render's attention.

"I would like to go to St Marylebone if that's okay with you," He said shyly. "No problem, I'll make the withdrawal from your account, and you should be registered by Monday." Mr. Render said standing. There was a knock on the door and Ms. Conteur entered.

"Ah, if it isn't ma belle dame, you look beau comme toujours," Mr. Render said with a charming smile. Ms. Conteur blushed lightly but turned to him instead. "Ignore my husband Harry, he's nothing but a fool in love." Harry had to giggle at this. "Excuse me, but I don't think we were properly introduced, I'm Isabeau Render, that's my husband Samuel, and you've met our sons Lucian and Harlin." She said shaking his hand. Harry just nodded and swallowed thickly. How could someone so cold like Mr. Samuel Render get a nice girl Like Ms. Isabeau Render? Thinking back to how cold her eyes and voice was that night Harry left the orphanage he could see perfectly how those two landed together.

Turning his attention back to the husband and wife they were talking in hushed whispers in the corner. Smiling Ms. Isabeau gave her husband a quick peck on the lips before making her way back over to him. "Well Harry it's time for a little training with your powers, are you ready?" She asked excitedly. Harry just nodded shyly and followed her out the door. The day was turning out to be one of the most eventful of his life.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry followed Mrs. Render closely as she lead him to the training spot. The path consisted of many twist and turns that had his head reeling and his legs aching. Apparently the training room was buried deep under the house to protect it from intruders when they wanted to meddle and find out what went on in the house.

They finally made it to a spiral staircase that they had to go down only to end at a dead end. Harry had been about to ask Mrs. Render if she'd made a wrong turn when she put her hand to the wall and it had slid open. He was shocked and amazed at the wonders of technology.

"How did you do that?" He had to ask. "My husband, Samuel, he designed it, he can control technology, and owns a multi-billion dollar company for technology." She responded with a soft smile on her face clearly lost in her thoughts.

While they were walking Harry paid attention to his surroundings. He noticed that as they entered the hidden room behind the wall the walls were now made of steel. They passed many hallways that Mrs. Render did not even glance at. Finally they made it to the back of the building where there was another dead end. This time Mrs. Render just kicked the wall, and it snapped back and slid over revealing a secret passage.

They had to couch down to get into the secret passage and then he saw some walls made of hardened mud with wooden support beams, and the floors were made of dirt. He knew they were truly underground now. He kept close to Mrs. Render, afraid of getting lost in some underground cavern.

There were no lights to light up the passage but Mrs. Render didn't seem to mind, in fact she looked right at home. When you looked closely at her it seemed as if the shadows wrapped around her person and caressed her whole form. Harry shivered from the thought that was just plain creepy.

They arrived at the end of the tunnel after about ten minutes. There were some torches on the wall of the cavern giving a little light to Harry. They exited out of the cave through a steel door that slammed close behind them. When they entered he was surprised to hear the chatter of pubescent voices and some commands coming from older sounding voices.

Peeking around the corner he got a big surprise. Everyone was here. Harlin, Lucian, Justin, Charlus, and everyone else he could remember. There were also some adults that he didn't recognize. He felt Mrs. Render guiding him out into the open where every one turned to look at him. He felt himself heating up. Harry wasn't a naturally shy person but he didn't like the way they were obviously sizing him up, like he wasn't worth being here.

"Alright everyone, this is Harry Potter, I know some of you have had the pleasure of meeting him, but for those who haven't make him feel right at home, I don't want to see any hazing or bullying, nor hear about it." Mrs. Render announced to the room, staring pointedly at Harlin who grinned in response.

"Okay let's break it off into groups, when I call your name stand up and move over to a corner, these are the groups you'll be working with in the training session today, and remember be on your best behavior, we do have a guest today." One of the new men said motioning to where a bald man in a wheel chair was sitting.

"This is the first group, you're with me," Said a woman with a heavy American southern accent. "Nasa, Aditi, Travis, Taser, Harlin, Charlus, Screech, and Tristen." The kids that were called stood up and followed the woman.

Then the man who had spoken before came up. " Twin Tails, Blade, Naga, Diablo, Shadow Wolf, and Wild Cat, please follow me." They stood up and followed as told some grumbling under their breath.

"Group three you're with me, Lucian, Oracle, and Jeena," The man he recognized as Mr. Conteur said. The three apart of the smallest group so far took their time standing up and made their way over to him at a their own pace.

" Group four, Shadow Breaker, Justin, Surge, Dragon, Kasherie, and last but not least Sprite, come on down." Mrs. Render said. Everyone that was left in the group stood except him. It took him a minute to remember that that was his codename, and stood quickly with an embarrassed blush. He caught Kasherie staring at him and she blew him a kiss accompanied with a wink. He had to fight down a blush as he followed Mrs. Render and the rest of the group.

"Okay, so everyone in this group has something they can manipulate, we are going to sit on the ground, introduce ourselves, and then we are going to pair off into groups to practice our powers, while I come around and instruct everyone one by one." Mrs. Render instructed. We all sat down in a circle as instructed but no one spoke.

"Oh fine, I can see we're going to be here all day if I don't speak so, I'll go first." Kasherie huffed. "I'm Kasherie Carmona, yes I know what you're all thinking, yes I'm related to the illustrious millionaire Carmonas, and I can manipulate blood." She finished. Everyone just nodded his or her heads except Harry who stared at her blankly. Who the hell were the Carmonas, shrugging his head he decided it wasn't important.

"I'm Dragon and that's my brother Surge, I control fire he controls lightning," Dragon said shortly, introducing himself and his brother.

"I'm Justin as you all very well know, I can conduct electricity and provide energy to others but can't use it myself, but I am really good at infiltration, and I can short out electrical appliances or overload them," He said in a monotone voice, on perking up at the end.

"I'm Shadow Breaker, I can control light, and manipulate it to so what I want just like the rest of you can do to your element," Ellen said quietly, staring off into space.

"Last but not least is Sprite, what can _you _do?" Mrs. Render asked smiling gently.

Harry held himself together as all of those multi-colored eyes turned on him. "I'm Harry or if you want Sprite, as you all know I'm new here, and I can control lightning like Surge except mine is blue," he said quickly. Everyone nodded giving him a reassuring smile, except Justin who just rolled his eyes.

"Okay team let's go, its warm up time," Mrs. Render yelled. Everyone stood up and formed a line. When Harry passed by Justin the taller boy purposely bumped shoulders with him and sneered. "Watch it rookie," he said and swaggered away. Sighing Harry followed, somehow he'd just made another enemy.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry and Surge had been practicing with Harry's powers for about forty minutes. First thing they'd had to do was to find out what was triggering his powers. It didn't take them long to figure out that emotion was the cause after Harry explained all the instances where his powers sprang forward. After that it had been easy summoning his powers, but controlling it was a whole different matter.

"Ugh, Goddamn it, reign you're fucking lightning in, Potter, this is hard enough as it is!" Surge yelled as Harry lost control of his lightning whip for the eighth time that day.

"Do you think I'm doing this on purpose? Give me a fucking break. Surge, I'm new at this shit. I'm expected to make mistakes," Harry snapped back, losing control of his temper as his lightning whip got away from him for the now ninth time.

"Why doesn't both of you cock-suckers shut the fuck up! You're going to get us all in trouble with your swearing," Dragon interrupted, warily glancing in Mrs. Render's direction where she and the other teachers were talking to a bald man in a wheelchair.

"Hey, Harry, I think that maybe you have too much electrical discharge. Why don't you have Justin drain you a bit, but make it an exercise," Kasherie suggested thoughtfully.

"Yeah, what kind of exercise," Harry asked curiously, it seemed like a probable idea.

"An idea like… you thrust your lightning joust at him; he blocks and absorbs. Duh," she responded, rolling her eyes.

"One problem, though… Which one of us is going to ask Justin to do it?" Shadow Breaker broke in nervously.

There was a tense silence before Harry sighed and called, "Hey Justin come here, we need your help!"

Everyone looked at him with varying degrees of surprise or incredulity as if saying, "_What the fuck are you thinking?"_ Justin himself didn't look surprised at all and swaggered over.

Stopping after he'd gotten close enough, Justin snappishly asked, "What do you want, rookie?"

Surge and Harry exchanged exasperated looks before explaining the problem.

"Yeah, alright, I'll help you, but what's in it for me?" He asked arrogantly after they'd finished explaining.

"Look, I don't really have anything I can give you, but I promise I'll pay you back if you help out," Harry replied with no small amount of bitterness in his voice at the thought of being in someone's debt.

"Fine, but you totally owe me, Potter, move back," Justin said, pushing the young wizard backward harshly.

"What do I do," Harry asked with uncertainty. Justin rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while shaking his head.

"Just run at me with one of your lightning joust. I'll take care of the rest," he replied in a bored tone. Unseen by Harry, the other mutants exchanged wary gazes.

Following instructions, Harry concentrated until he could hear and feel the lightning crackling at his fingertips, then he charged forward at Justin. Justin met his charge head on; catching his thrust with his own hands and clenching them within Harry's own smaller ones until they couldn't move. He could see people turning to watch them, as he felt Justin begin to drain some of his lightning. Not only could Harry feel this loss of power, he could also see it. Little rings of electrical blue energy traveling from his fingertips, up Justin's wrist, then arm, until it sunk into Justin's heart. He felt energy drain from his core, and fell down to one knee with a yelp of pain.

"Justin, let him go! You've drained enough discharge. You're going to kill him!" Kasherie cried in alarm, attracting the attention of the other mutant children.

"Let him go or I'll fry you," Surge cried when Justin made no move to loosen his grip. Dragon summoned a whip of emerald fire to dance around him in a silent threat as well. Shadow Breaker just looked around helplessly, while Kasherie looked on the verge of hysterics. All Harry could do was gasp in pain as Justin's grip tightened. He was now on both of his knees and felt as if he was about to faint from exhaustion and pain.

Suddenly Justin let out a gasp of pain and began to float upward in the air, freeing Harry's hands. Justin gasped for air and clawed at his own throat, as if fighting invisible hands that were not there. Harry fell back on his back, content to watch as Justin floated higher into the air, turning blue at the constriction on his airway. Harry looked around franticly in search of who was causing this to happen.

He spotted Kasherie and Charlus in the crowd, each with their right hand clenched in the air as if choking someone. Charlus had a bloodthirsty look on his face, which was in stark contrast to his usual gentle nature. It made Harry shiver in fear. He wasn't too surprised when Harlin joined the two, smirking in satisfaction as he waved his hand, and Justin screamed.

"Ah, snakes, Oh God get them away from me!" Justin gurgled, choking as he attempted to scream, his body thrashing about to get away from non-existent snakes.

"That's enough of this foolishness!" Mrs. Render cried out furiously, making her way over to the group. With a snap of her fingers, shadow shackles bound Kasherie, Harlin, and Charlus, and Justin fell from the air. The man who was teaching Twin Tail's group came soaring through the air with powerful, black wings and caught Justin mid-fall. Harry had learned his name was Gargoyle and he taught the self- transformations group. The a teachers and mutant student rushed over to the Justin and his rescuer, leaving the bound and gagged trio on the floor.

Justin was still spluttering, gasping for air, heaving and coughing as if he still couldn't breathe, and finally passing out. Mrs. Render hurried over to him and checked for a heartbeat.

"His lungs have collapsed! Someone hurry and get Laurenya!" Mrs. Render exclaimed, alarmed. Henry nodded seriously and took off on all fours. Mrs. Render tried to perform CPR but it didn't seem to be working.

"It's not working… Give him to me; I can run him to the infirmary," the man volunteered. Justin was quickly passed to and he ran off holding Justin's unconscious body, Mrs. Render and the other teachers following behind him at a run, with the forms of Harlin, Kasherie, and Charlus floating behind them. They all were left alone with the man in the wheelchair and a deep feeling of helplessness.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Everyone in the room was quiet. There was nothing to say. Lost in his or her own thoughts, no one was really in a speaking mood. Mostly everyone was still thinking about what had just transpired between their fellow mutants. Occasionally a sob escaped from one of the girls who had gathered into a huddle to comfort each other.

"Is Justin going to be okay? He looked really hurt," Screech asked softly.

Everyone's eyes turned to him. He was so small and quiet, at only six years of age, that it was sometimes hard to remember that he was there. He needn't be experiencing anything like this at his early age. It could traumatize him for life.

"Of course, sweetie," Aditi cooed. "Justin will be fine. Laurenya will fix him right up and he'll be back on his feet eating dinner with us in no time. I bet you're hungry, aren't you," she continued, taking hold of Screech's hand and pulling him along. "Why don't we go see what they have at the snack table for you?"

The rest of the students sighed in relief. They really didn't need the extra stress of trying to answer a distressed six-year-old's question right now. They once again lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

Harry fidgeted nervously with his shirt buttons. He couldn't help feeling like this whole incident was his fault. He knew Justin wasn't in control of himself when he was trying to drain him. Justin had lost control of his powers. He could see Justin's hands shaking badly when they were gripping his, as if trying to let go but being unable to do so. Harry really didn't know what to think. It was like something inside of him had attached itself to Justin and refused to let go. He didn't blame Justin for being overpowered, but at this point he was just hoping that Justin made it through this ordeal okay.

He was jolted from his thoughts when Aditi and Screech came back over, followed by a bald man in a wheelchair.

"Everyone, this is Professor Charles Xavier from America," Aditi explained, glancing warily at the man who claimed to want to speak with them. "He owns a school for gifted children such as ourselves."

"Hello, children," the bald man began, his voice strong but soft. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, head of the American school for the gifted. I come before you now in my mission to compare English boarding schools to American boarding schools. I also wanted to see how you children are faring here."

Everyone traded confused glances, shrugging their shoulders. They sure didn't know what this man was talking about. Hell, they hadn't even known there was a school for mutants in America. There were, of course, schools in China, Japan, India, Peru—hell, there was even one in Tibet—but they did not know anything of a mutant school in America.

Seeing their confused expressions, Professor Xavier explained.

"You see, while it's true that there are many schools for mutants all over the world, each one specializes in something," he said, flashing the students a kind smile. "Take your school, for instance: it specializes in children who have dangerous gifts that they can't learn to control anywhere else, or that no other school is qualified to teach them. Each of your gifts are uncontrollable. Dangerous to society, and possibly even yourselves, that's why you're here.

Everyone nodded, finally understanding what the man was talking about. It made sense when they took the time to think about it.

"Then what does your school specialize in, Mr. Xavier?" Twin Tails asked, emerging from the crowd. He was the oldest, after all, and that meant watching out for the younger children when the adults were not around, especially around strangers like Mr. Charles Xavier.

"Well, my school specializes in relations… We mostly take those students who still have family members living, and that care about them, so we can keep up the façade of being a school for the gifted The 'Charles Xavier School for the Gifted' has the best public relations out of all the mutant schools in the world, because we're actually known to non-mutants… but not known as a "mutant school," per say," the Professor answered, following his response with a knowing wink.

There were more nods and grunts of understanding. An awkward silence settled over the group again.

"Thank you, Professor Xavier, for entertaining the children," Mrs. Render suddenly replied, her cold voice startling Harry. "However, it's time for lunch, so would all of you please head to higher ground?"

"Yes, Mrs. Render," the students replied, standing up.

"Mrs. Render? How is Justin?" Screech asked, tugging on her pants leg.

Everyone froze, waiting for the answer with bated breath.

"He's doing much better," she replied with smiling eyes. "Laurenya was able to revive him in the children's wing, but he's going to have to stay there for a couple of days to make sure he doesn't have a relapse."

"Oh, and what about Charlus, Harlin, and Kasherie? What happened to them?" Henry asked, trying and failing to be nonchalant about the whole matter.

No one had really been willing to talk about what those three did to Justin. It had just been to cruel, and had hit a little to close to home for their taste.

"Their punishment is still pending, but when it's finally decided, I'm sure you'll be the first to know," she replied, eyes cold once again.

Everyone nodded and started filing out of the room as quickly as they could, anxious to get to the dining room for lunch. Harry was no exception, being as he had missed breakfast. As he walked out with the group, Mrs. Render's voice stopped him.

"Oh, and Harry… Justin wanted you to know he was sorry," she told him with a sad smile.

All Harry could do was nod his thanks awkwardly, seeing as it was really his own fault. He continued to lunch, albeit at a slower pace. Suddenly he wasn't very hungry.


	20. Author's Note 2

**Author's Note: I have decided to put this story on a temporary hiatus. I want to completely revamp it. Add more details, change sentence structure, add and remove sentences, basically the whole big package. I'll be as quick as I can about it but ultimately it depends on how long each chapter takes to edit between me and my Beta, Amymimi. **

**Later,**

**Midnight Writer Shadrach**


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: I'm sorry I took so long to update but between my other stories, school, and editing the chapters of 'For How Long Will You Love Me?', I had a very busy schedule! Finally I'm back though, and I'm eager to get started on this story again. It may be kind of short but I've got to get used to writing long chapters for this story again, so give me a minute. So without further adieu, here is chapter twenty.**

Albus Dumbledore was for the first time in a very long time, very nervous. One of the squibs he had on his pay roll that was informed to watch little Harry Potter as he grew up had just given him some very disturbing news. It seemed that for months now Harry Potter's uncle, Vernon Dursely had been dead from a freak accident which involved lightning, which really wasn't important until she informed him that Harry Potter had went missing and was presumed dead.

It seemed that Harry Potter had went missing the same night that his uncle had been killed but Arabella hadn't noticed because she'd been on vacation in the Virgin Islands or somewhere equally expensive with the raise Albus had given her. In fact the only reason she had noticed that Harry Potter wasn't with his relatives anymore was because all of his relatives barring Dudley Dursely were dead. Apparently Petunia Dursely had been killed by someone who obviously had a problem with the Dursely family. The only thing the Order of the Phoenix had been able to gather was that it was a black man who did the deed, and that wasn't any help at all!

You could say a lot about Albus Dumbledore; you could say he was weird, you could say he was old and senile, you could say he was a genius in disguise or like a grandfather to you, but one thing no one has ever accused Albus Dumbledore of being was manipulative; but he was. Yes, Albus Dumbledore was very manipulative, and he knew how to play the game well. His motto was that he had been manipulating people before there was even a real Minister of Magic, and he would be manipulating people long after the Minister of Magic was gone. What most people failed to realize was that Albus Dumbledore was just a lazy man who saw opportunities to manipulate key people and went after them. Case and point, Grindlewald.

Grindlewald and Albus had long been lovers before his rise to power. He had an opportunity right then to stop the mad man before he did something like become the next Dark Lord, but he didn't. He waited until Grindlewald was a threat and then took him out; and he did all this with a loving smile on his face and twinkling eyes.

Albus Dumbledore usually wasn't one to get angrily easily but when his plans were tampered with he got serious. Harry Potter was supposed to grow up in an abusive environment filled with no knowledge of his status an heir to the Potter family name and fortune. He was supposed to show up to Hogwarts starved for love and attention and easily susceptible to the manipulations of an old coot who stuck his overly long crooked nose into others business.

Albus sat back in his chair and popped a lemon drop into his mouth, thinking of ways this could be used to his advantage. While Harry Potter needed to show up at Hogwarts abused, it didn't matter where that abuse came from. The boy was most likely still alive in the muggle world since Gringotts hadn't announced that he was dead, which meant he was most likely in some kind of orphanage.

Now Albus Dumbledore was looking at the facts he had. He knew that muggle orphanages could be quite cruel, maybe crueler than the abuse that Harry Potter suffered from his relatives, hell just look at Tom Riddle, A.K.A Lord Voldemort. He was raised in a muggle orphanage and became one of the most feared Dark Lords of all time. Albus wasn't worried about Harry becoming a dark lord because the boy was their savior, he couldn't become dark! The idea was absolutely preposterous, laughable even! Yes, Albus decided. Harry Potter would be free t live his life in the muggle world for now, but only until he came to Hogwarts; that's when the games really began. Little did Dumbledore know, the game had already started and he wasn't even a player, yet.


	22. Chapter 22

Harry followed everyone else back up to the dinning room for lunch. He was famished after skipping breakfast and practicing with his lightning had tired him out. He was practically falling asleep in his soup when Dragon tapped him on his shoulder.

"Hey Harry, are you okay? You look a bit green around the gills, should I get Mame for you?" He asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine…really!" Harry replied conjuring a weak smile that admittedly would have been more convincing if his eyes weren't drooping so much.

"If you say so," Dragon relented, but he didn't look convinced. "Listen, I need to talk to you about something…it's very important." Dragon continued, his face taking on a look of pain uncharacteristic to his usual cheerful nature.

"Sure, go ahead." Harry said reclining back in his chair lazily.

Dragon looked around at all the chattering children and back at Harry with raise eyebrows as if asking, "Here?"

Harry's cheeks turned red in embarrassment.

"Sorry, but I don't know where else we can go to talk," He replied smiling sheepishly.

"It's cool, we can go to my room, its on the 24th floor of the house so we should be able too finish our talk before we even make it to the top floor.

Harry shrugged signaling Dragon to lead the way to the elevator. Everyone was so busy eating they never noticed the two slip out of the dinning room. Soon the two boys were on the elevator on their way to the 24th floor.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Harry asked breaking the awkward silence.

Dragon cleared his throat nervously before saying, "I'd really rather wait until you're sitting down and comfortable before I tell you; I mean I don't want you to freak out or anything."

Harry raised one eyebrow in disbelief but then just for the hell of it he sat on the elevator floor and looked up at Dragon with a cocky smirk.

"There, satisfied? I'm sitting and comfortable." He said with both eyebrows cocked this time.

Dragon literally had smoke coming from his ears as he new found cockiness blew a breathed fire out of his mouth in frustration.

"Fine, since you're so eager to receive bad news (Here Harry frowns) then by all means, please let's get to it!" Dragon huffed.

Harry could only nod confused by Dragon's sudden seriousness.

"Okay, so I talked to Shadow Wolf earlier and it seems that he overheard a conversation between Mrs. And Mr. Render and Professor Xavier from the mutant institution in America…," Dragon trailed off looking at Harry expectantly as if he was just supposed to know what he was going to say next.

"So, what's your point? Even I know that there has to be a lot of work involved in running a mutant institution, they were probably just talking numbers or something.

"Well I can confirm the or something part," Dragon muttered.

"They were talking about you Harry." He said, this time louder. "Shadow Wolf overheard them saying that this environment isn't right for nurturing a child with such potential as yourself, that if you were to go to America that you could learn to control your powers without all the constant distractions and danger."

"Mrs. Render argued on my behalf though right? She told the Professor that I could do just fine here where all my friends are, yes?" Harry asked in a pleading tone that just broke Dragon's heart.

"Yes and then no," Dragon said not meeting Harry's eyes. "At first she fought for your right to stay here but then she started to think about it and began to agree with Professor Xavier."

"I guess there's no other way to say this, Harry you're going to America." Dragon sighed finally meeting his eyes.

Just as the reality of Dragon's words finally made their impact on Harry the elevator beeped as it reached the 24th floor signaling the end of his ride and his stay in England.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor do I own X-men.

A/N: Okay so when Harry goes to America I would like to change his code name because it just occurred to me that his name has the same meaning as pixie-which he will have nothing to do with, and my favorite drink Sprite which is just plain weird. So I'm taking any and all suggestions for his codename as long as they're not overused and putting them on a poll on my profile so my reader's can vote on what Harry's codename should be. Oh and before I forget Read and Review!

"Harry you're going to England," Dragon repeated after Harry had shown no sign of hearing him.

"I heard you the first time!" Harry snapped his eyes looking mysteriously misty even under the poor light of the elevator.

"Look if it makes you feel better you're not the only one going. Henry or Shadow Wolf, Surge, Lucian, Harlin, and me are going as well." Dragon confided.

"B-but why!!!?" Harry asked desperately trying to think of a reason that they would send them away. What had the done?

"It's because they feel that the American Mutant Institute would be better for our development and the fact that we're not crazy might have something to do with it."

"Huh?" Harry asked confused.

Dragon sighed but explained anyway. "You're either the most unobservant person I have ever met or you're the nicest. In case you haven't noticed the England Institute for Mutants is full of teens with oh, how do can I put this? UNSTABLE MINDS?"

Harry jumped and let out an undignified squeak when Dragon yelled unexpectedly and in his ear at that.

"Damn! No need to yell! I honestly never noticed that everyone running around here has a history of mental problems or prior to coming here unstable lives!" Harry snapped rubbing his ringing ears.

Dragon huffed. "Well I guess you really are unobservant, but at least now you know. This place is like a checkpoint for Newly found mutants who have unstable minds, a rough childhood, or are just plainly put to damn crazy to function around normal people. This place has some of the world's craziest and most powerful mutants locked up underground that you've never met before, and honestly you probably never will."

"Then how do you explain Harlin's crazy ass walking around free? Shouldn't his crazy ass be locked up too? Why are they even allowing him to leave this building yet alone England?" Harry asked incredulously.

Dragon broke into laughter smoke exiting from ears and fire being blown from his mouth. Drying his tears on his sleeve he turned serious.

"That's not nice Harry, even if it is funny. There's a lot more to Harlin than you know. You just have to give him a chance and he'll give you a chance."

"Whatever," Harry snorted. "I guess we should start informing the others and start packing our belongings, but first I need your help with something."

"Sure, just name it." Dragon said wit a nonchalant shrug.

"I need to now how to gain access to my money that my parents left me." Harry confided in a soft voice.

Dragon looked thoughtful before admitting, "I don't know much about banks and money…but I know someone who does," He said hesitantly.

"Okay who?" Harry asked curiously.

"It's best you not know, you might freak out let's just got to their room and you can ask them yourself." Dragon said evasively.

"Fine," Harry consented. "What floor is their room on?"

"We're already on the floor their room is just down the hall." Dragon said standing, stretching his muscles as he did so.

Harry followed Dragon down a poorly lit hall that was to be honest just plain creepy. Harry didn't even think Dragon could really see. He was probably acting off pure instinct on where to turn and where to stop.

They came to the third door that was made of a dark wood and was very plain with no decorations at all.

Dragon knocked three times, paused rapped sharply six times, and banged the door with his fist once. Harry looked at Dragon as if he was crazy as if to say, what the hell?

Dragon just shrugged as if saying he was use to it by now.

Harlin answered the door in nothing but his boxers trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. His eyes however, snapped open when he realized exactly who was at his door.

"What do _you _want?" Harlin growled, all traces of sleepiness gone from his eyes.

Instead of answering Harry glared at Dragon, promising bloody murder with his eyes. Dragon just pushed Harry forward and nodded as if saying go on.

"Listen Harlin I know you don't like me and I don't like you but I need your help…"

"So let me get this straight," said Harlin. " Dragon overheard my parents and uncle discussing with Professor Xavier the future of the mutants who are being transferred to the American institute in America and they're sending me?"

"Yeah that's pretty much what I just said," Dragon confirmed.

"And now you need my help to you gain control of your finances because you don't know how to, is this also correct?" Harlin questioned with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Yeah…so will you help or not?" Harry anxiously, biting his tongue to keep from saying anything rude even thought the boy totally deserved it.

"Yeah sure, why not? But we have to do it today because my mother is binding my powers tomorrow for a whole year for punishment what we did to Justin." Harlin said with a roll of his eyes.

Ignoring the fact that Harlin had agreed to help him Harry eyed him angrily.

"What do you mean she's binding your powers for a year. Isn't that a bit harsh, I mean it's not as if you killed Justin. Charlus did most of the work, strangling the boy with his own blood! Who knew Charlus could be so ruthless when it came down to it?" Dragon said obviously trying to butter Harlin up.

Harlin snorted. "You don't have to always stick up for me Dragon. I'm a big boy; I can take care of myself. For once though, my mother is right. We went to far this time. We could have killed Justin and that's the last thing I wanted to do. Yeah, I've killed before," Harlin paused motioning to the two teardrops tattooed under his right eye. "But I don't want to kill a fellow mutant I was just trying to help another fellow mutant out. I deserve everything I'm getting." Harlin said his eyes close, a look of absolute serenity on his face."

Harry felt his anger evaporate at the sad picture the boy made. " Why would you help me though, I thought you hated me?" Harry said with a confused look on his face.

"I don't hate you, Harry. I merely dislike you but I don't hate you." Harlin said not opening his eyes.

"Well then I guess I should tell you that I don't hate you either Harlin…and thanks for saving me," Harry said with a soft blush on his pale cheeks.

"Well if we're going out to London I'm going to get Shadow Wolf, Surge, and Lucian, they'll want to go to." Dragon said pulling Harry along as he backed away from Harlin towards the exit.

"That is fine, I'll meet you downstairs by the back door soon." Harlin said still not opening his eyes.

Dragon shut the door gently behind him as they exited the room.

"Why did you do that, it was terribly rude!" Harry whispered harshly following Dragon down the dark corridor.

"He was going to cry…he hasn't cried in so long I didn't want him to hold it in on account of us being there. Harlin is truly one of the strongest people I've ever met but he's also the most selfless. He wouldn't want us worrying about him so he doesn't show emotion in front of us.

Harry didn't reply but he realized that he might have completely misjudged Harlin. He had a lot to think about, that's for sure.


	24. Chapter 24

Okay so right now I'm contemplating on either rewriting my stories or giving them up to someone else who would like to complete it. If you're interested send me a message. The only requirement I that you have at least one story of your own written that I can read before I turn my story over to you. Let me know if you're interested.

-Midnight Writer Shadrach


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